Like two former champion heavyweights now consigned to the undercard,
India and England come into this series desperate to recapture former
glories. Both have declined sharply since respectively attaining the No.
1 Test ranking and, while South Africa and Australia have taken top
billing, they find themselves at a crossroads: win this series and they
earn another shot at the big time; lose and they face some awkward
questions.
The phoney war, at least, is over. After three weeks in India and a
great deal more spin off the pitch than on it, England are as ready as
they will ever be to face what is, arguably, the biggest challenge in
the sport: beating India in India.
At first glance, the series should not be close. India are unbeaten at
home in eight years; England have not won a series in India for 28 years and, since then, have only won one of 11 Tests. England's record against spin is hardly promising, either.
Yet, despite all that, England may never have a better opportunity to
beat India in India. It is not just that India are a side in transition -
they have already lost VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid - but the form and
fitness of several of remaining players is under scrutiny.
There is also more pressure on India. Victory is not just expected of
them; it is demanded. Their pride is built upon their strong home
record. If England are not the pushover some are expecting then there
will be those in the Indian camp - not least their coach, Duncan
Fletcher - peering over their shoulders nervously.
Perhaps that explains why India have taken some remarkable risks in the
run-up to this series. The policy of denying England access to
high-quality spin or turning wickets does mean that England will go into
the Test lacking match practise in one key part of the game, but it has
also allowed them the chance to gain form and confidence. Every one of
the top seven has passed 50 at least once.
India also appear to have taken a risk with the pitch for the Ahmedabad
Test. It is not just that it is relaid - and relaying a Test pitch two
months before a game means no-one can predict how it will play - but
that it has been relaid with a higher proportion of sand and a more
brittle type of clay. It is hard to avoid the conclusion that India
expect it to break up and offer substantial assistance to the spinners
sooner rather than later.
But what if England set a challenging first innings total and utilise
the crumbling pitch when they bowl? What if England's seamers gain as
much from the surface as India's spinners? What if Swann enjoys the best
of the conditions? India's tactics are not those of a side that truly
believes in its own ability. If they did, they would surely prepare the
best possible cricketing surface and back themselves to prevail.
History tends not to recall subtleties. Accepted wisdom tells us that
England were crushed in the UAE and thrashed by South Africa, but that
is not the full story. They might, should even, have beaten Pakistan had
they not capitulated so feebly against spin - they were set just 145 in
the second Test and dismissed Pakistan out for less than 100 in the
third.
Similarly, they went into the final session of the second and third
Tests against South Africa with potentially a winning positions. For all
the criticism they have attracted of late, it is worth remembering that
if they win this series handsomely and Australia defeat South Africa,
England will return to No. 1 in the Test rankings. They have not fallen
so far as some suggest.
England have suffered one major reverse on this tour. The loss of Steven
Finn, by some distance the quickest bowler on either side, deprives
England of a key method of attack. While he should be back to full
fitness for the second Test in Mumbai, England will be reliant on the
subtler skills of Tim Bresnan in the meantime. But it bodes well for
them that towards the end of the final warm-up game, Bresnan appeared to
have recovered both his nip and his ability to reverse swing the ball.
The crux of the series, though, remains England's ability to play spin.
If they do not improve substantially on their efforts in the UAE, they
will be beaten. While they went into that series complacent and under
prepared, they go into this one focussed and informed.
While, in the long term, they will need to review their policy - albeit a
policy they will not admit to having - of not allowing "mystery" spin
in English domestic cricket and, perhaps, look at the surfaces
Championship games are played upon if they are really to master their
spin issues, they are as well prepared as any England touring party to
India has been. As Alastair Cook put it: "We're ready."
There are other concerns. There is the catching, there is Stuart Broad's
lack of potency in the series against South Africa and there is the
doubt about the strength of the renewed team spirit. Of all those issues
it is the slip catching that should provoke most anxiety. Cook, for his
many admirable qualities, has rarely looked assured in the cordon and
the decision to place him at first slip is a mistake.
This England team has made something of a habit of breaking down
barriers. In early 2010 they became the first England side to win a
global limited-overs trophy - the World T20 in the Caribbean - and, less
than a year later, they became the first England side to win in
Australia for more than two decades. Winning in India is just as
difficult. But they can do it.
0 comments:
Post a Comment