Kutti Thala RAINA- The Future of Indian cricket

[kid-glove]

Gayle is a destructive player (as in a prolific matchwinner), and has proved he could cut it in ODI & Test than what most would like to believe.

12 hundreds in 85 tests suggests that he could cut it in tests, but not a matchwinner...only 2 has resulted in wins, one being against zimbabwe and another england, hardly world class bowling! that's why most of the time i've felt viru/gayle comparison by the experts is unfair! gayle-raina, yes, do it...

Problem with Gayle is he's playing in the worst WI team in decades. I rate him to be their most likely match-winner. If Gayle is asked to play with Sachin and Dravid in place of Viru, he'd fare as good if not better as pressure is a considerably less..

[jinju]

Problem with Gayle is he's playing in the worst WI team in decades. I rate him to be their most likely match-winner. If Gayle is asked to play with Sachin and Dravid in place of Viru, he'd fare as good if not better as pressure is a considerably less..

hmm right in many ways, but still...i rated sarwan for long, i still think hes their best bat, but attitude, injuries, inconsistency etc saw him drop off...

plum what do u think about this? gayle as gud as viru...? i mean not in hitting abilities but being a genuine matchwinner in tests if he had a test lineup like India's to follow?

[kid-glove]

I rate Sarwan too.

[jinju]

Jinju, gayle has a test triple century to his credit. If Raina can hit even a triple in domestic cricket, I'd be happy. It is a temparament problem with him.

yeah a matchsaving one against SA at the fag end of a disastrous series...fab innings!

[Plum]

Auuuuu....Gayle is well behind Viru-nga.
I wont dismiss him as a fit-only-for-ODIs but discriminate paNNanumnga between him and Viru.

The long and short of it - would I like Raina in the test team? Yes, I like that boy(more than Rohit) but is he ready for that? No. Can he bridge the gap? Yes, I think he can. Take inspiration from Laxman, who had issues making big scores initially in domestic cricket before he willed himself to doubles and triples by fixing his temparament. Another matter that Lax failed to do himelf full justice in tests by throwing his wicket cheaply against the Zimbabwes and Sri Lankas and lesser teams compared to Australia. Even there, he has now fixed that and is very consistent against all teams now.

Incidentally, Rohit needs to take inspiration from Laxman as well. He can well be the next Laxman in terms of aesthetic appeal - but without adding a layer of steel, determination and grit, he cannot make it big.

[kid-glove]

Flum,
Gayle at 25 was a different animal to the early one.

I'm hinging Raina to make considerable improvements to his game. Of course, I'm assuming he will be given chances in a strong Indian test side. It will be harder for him than Gayle, as he got into a weak WI side with relative ease.

[Plum]

Oh, I hope so. It helps to have atleast 3 batsmen who can make it to all 3 forms of the game. If not exactly Viru-Sachin-Rahul-Laxman, I hope Gauti-Vijay-Raina-Rohit becomes a reasonably formidable combination in tests for India. Atleast oru Hayden-Ponting-Martyn-S Waugh rangekku vandhA sandhOsham.

P.S: Given my jinx, all fans of these 4 can officially lose hopes on these 4 batsmen now

[jinju]

gayle is only 25, huh ! afridi parambarayaa illa nejamaava, avarukku dhaan theriyum !

[kid-glove]

gayle is only 25, huh ! afridi parambarayaa illa nejamaava, avarukku dhaan theriyum !

Lack of comprehension. I said, Gayle at 25 (When he was hitting triple centuries) was a different animal to the early one. He is 30-31 now

[jinju]

oh 'was' ah? my mistike...