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The English team is acclimatizing
to the sub continental conditions after playing
warm up matches against India A and Haryana
and they have had a decent workout in
the middle. With less than a week to go for the first test against India in Ahmedabad.
5 of their top 7 batsmen scored half century or more and Petersen top
scoring with an unbeaten ton to boost
his confidence. This knock would have set up \ K P for
the upcoming series after the recent unfortunate sequence of events in the last couple of
months. Everybody in India is excited about the series against the team which
tormented India last year with a 4 – 0 drubbing in England. Experts and
enthusiasts have already started calling this home series as a chance to take
revenge of the last years whitewash. Hang
on guys surely it is not just about revenge which India will be looking
forward to when they take on England in the opening test in Ahmedabad. Somehow the word ‘revenge’ has just no business when it
comes to sporting contests however keenly contested they might be. In fact revenge should be the last thing on
the minds of the Indian team. One of the great joys of playing a sport is the
passion and the genuine love for the game and the urge to perform at the top level
for the country which should be the topmost priority for any sportsman.
The point is well taken when people
say that the top level sport has a competitive edge to it which makes for a
riveting contest on the field but the feeling of taking revenge for the
last year’s defeat will only make the job of winning the home series
even more daunting. Playing at home Indian team will be under the pump with
Sachin Tendulkar hogging the limelight by stating the need to reconsider his
continuity in international cricket after the series against England this
winter. Barring a couple of series against the Proteas, India have enjoyed an
unbeatable record at home for the last 20 years. But with the test team
undergoing transition after the retirements of Dravid and Laxman, the young and
inexperienced middle order will be facing the heat against a decent English
attack in sub continental conditions. The English team under Alistair cook will
be looking to emulate the feat of David
Gower’s team in 1984-85 by defeating
India at home . India has a lot to play
for and the captaincy of Dhoni at test level will be under intense scrutiny and
any mishap on his part could lead to the shifting of the guard as far as test
captaincy is concerned. The pitches in
all fairness will assist spinners at least in Mumbai and Kolkata. India has a great
opportunity to redeem themselves in test cricket. The paramount thing for an
Indian series victory will be the role of the bowling attack. Ashwin and Ojha
have started off on a good note in the last couple of home series against
the west indies and the kiwis but if the
likes of zaheer khan ( subject to fitness ) and umesh yadav do not provide the
initial breakthroughs the spinners will have a tough job at hand dismantling
the English batting order. One of the
key factors will also be how do the 2
sides make use of the old ball and whether they can make the ball
reverse alarmingly to make life tough for the lower middle order. The Indian
batting lineup is not as strong as it used to be with the likes of
Rahane,Pujara and Virat Kohli all trying to cement a place in the test side.
The English bowling lineup is
pretty good with the likes of James Anderson, Tim Bresnon, Stuart Broad all
having the ability to use the new and the old ball at decent speed and they
will be well supported with the likes of Swann and Panesar who will be handy on
the spin friendly tracks in India. The English batting line up seems to be
fairly inexperienced as far as sub continental conditions is concerned. The likes
of Bairstow, Eoin Morgan and Nick Compton are talented players but their
ability to play spin on turning tracks will be tested to the core and might
well be the deciding factor in the end result of the series. The return of Petersen
will definitely boost the visitors because he is one of the most impactful
batsman of the modern era. The Indian team on the other hand will be looking up
to its young guns to step up to the plate and make themselves counted. All in
all it should be a riveting contest and may the best team triumph at the end.
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