Dreadful Slump for Team India, Courtesy: Ridiculous Itinerary Framed by the BCCI

SHUVAIT KOUL

Well before Team India landed on the English soil, England Skipper Andrew Strauss and his men had started playing mind games claiming that England will not be the venue where the great Sachin Tendulkar will hit his much anticipated hundredth international ton. But who would have thought that the hosts would not muzzle the Little Master in terms of runs but rip-apart the rest of the so- called coveted Indian bating line-up as well.

To say the least, India has been taken to the cleaners by England in every department of the game. Losing three tests in a row has not only dethroned the World Champions from the top spot in ICC Test rankings but also raised serious speculations on the ‘will’ and ‘spirit’ of this rather fatigued looking Indian outfit.

Many cricket experts assert that the fundamental reason for India’s brazen nemesis in England is the formidable make-up of this English team which has played like a true champion in the series so far. However, there is undeniably more to it than what meets the eye.

Comparing Team India’s 2011 itinerary with that of England’s gives an idea of what is the strongest yet latent reason for the former’s annihilation. Shortly after the World Cup got over, while the English players were cooling their heels back home; probably doing their home work for their forthcoming series against Sri Lanka and India, the most high profile members of Team India were busy performing their duties for their respective IPL franchisees. 

The result- a broken and battered Zaheer Khan, the mainstay of Indian fast bowling and an out-shouldered Virender Sehwag- India’s trump card in any part of the world.  Not just this, the exhaustion could also be clearly seen in the body language of both the senior pros and the young brigade.

In such a scenario, one cannot but attribute this dismal performance of the Indian team in over a decade to the ridiculous scheduling they have been subjected to by the BCCI.

The story doesn’t end here but consolidates the point even further when if one goes through India’s itinerary for the remainder of the year. India plays England and WI in two home series from October to November prior to the Australian tour in December (which stretches to March 2012 including the tri-series involving Sri Lanka). 

With such tight scheduling, the board is trying to portray the Indian cricketers as Gladiators and effectively reducing their cricketing life-span much of which has already been established in the England tour.

In all seriousness, it is high time that the BCCI and the players themselves take cognizance of this absurdity or else it will very soon spell doom for Indian cricket, the signs of which are pretty evident in the England tour.

Top ranking at stake for Team India; England look good to take an unbeatable lead

A Preview ahead of the Third Test at Edgbaston, Birmingham 


SHUVAIT KOUL

When India plays England at Edgbaston, Birmingham in the third test today, it will easily be the most crucial match of MS Dhoni’s test career so far. England has gone all guns blazing against the World Champions and it will require a daunting task from Team India to tame the English on their soil particularly after putting up a dismal performance in the first two tests.

Indians will be playing with their backs to the wall as their number one ranking in test cricket is at stake. Moreover, with the likes of the experienced Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh not in the team, it will take a lot of character from Dhoni’s men to put up a great spectacle at Edgbaston.

A lot of onus rests on the shoulders of the little master Sachin Tendulkar who hasn’t fired in the series so far. He is undoubtedly due for a big one and what bigger stage than this to get his 100^th international ton when India are neck deep in waters. All eyes will also be on ‘The Wall’ -Rahul Dravid who has been the only Indian batsman who has looked solid with two centuries and taken the attack to the English team.

Team India should also draw inspiration from the fact that the swashbuckling Virender Sehwag is back in the side. Coming back from a shoulder injury, he may not be a hundred percent fit but one can never write his flamboyance off. If he goes on a rampage, it will be tough for Strauss and his men to stop him.

The great Wasim Akram went on record lauding the Indian selectors’ decision to send in RP Singh as a replacement for the injured Zaheer Khan. His high arm action and upright seam may come in handy in English conditions but he will need constant support on the other end from the seamers Ishant Sharma and Praveen Kumar, both of whom have hit the purple patch in this series.

As for England, the script could not have been written any better as they come into the third test looking to take an unbeatable 3-0 lead. Winning the first two tests comprehensively has put them right on top of Team India both in terms of morale and the series arithmetic. However they will miss the services of the in-form Jonathan Trott but the cohesiveness with which they have played right throughout the series will make sure that his absence will not make much of a difference to the team’s make-up.

Meanwhile it will be interesting to see whether the Indian skipper goes with three seamers and a spinner or an all pace attack given that he is predominantly an instinctive leader.

All in all, given their ‘World Champion’ tag, Team India would be expected to come up with a resilient fight to salvage their pride at Edgbaston to try and retain their number one spot in Test rankings.

‘THE WALL’ in white will now stand tall once again as ‘THE WALL’ in blue

A state of desperation prompted the selectors to go back knocking  at Dravid’s door……

 By SHUVAIT KOUL

Time has a sense and supremacy of its own. Cyclic, in nature, it does what it knows the best that is to bring everything to the ground state after a series of aerial theatrics. The analogy can be very meticulously drawn to the tale of arguably the Indian cricket’s ‘best ever big stage player’- Rahul Dravid.

While most of us were taken to a pleasantly baffling surprise over the inclusion of ‘THE WALL’ in the ODI squad for the forthcoming one day series in England yet his declaration of retiring from the both the ODI and  T20 versions of the game after the England series shows his incredible maturity and sagacity both from a cricketing and realistic point of view.

Given that his bat has been on song when all other batters around him have been falling like a house of cards, this definitely is a high point in his illustrious career when he should hang his boots from the two shorter formats of the game.

Dravid has been in business for long now to understand that this is a desperate move by the selection committee to do some facing after India’s disastrous show so far on the English soil and his spot in the team even if he puts up a spectacular show may not be guaranteed after the tour is over. 

Being the world champions, the Indian team has that extra burden on its shoulders to salvage its ‘World Champion tag’ and who else’s door could the selectors have knocked but Dravid’s- debatably India’s best ‘Crisis Man’ for almost two decades now.

He obviously must be a having a few butterflies in his stomach given that he will be returning to the limited overs format after a long hiatus of almost 23 months  but his impeccable tenacity and determination to perform even at the age 38 will calm any few nerves he might be having.

He has shown the same in the first two tests amidst India’s dismal performance. Overshadowing even the likes of the great Sachin Tendulkar, Dravid has put all the criticisms to rest and shown that his indispensability in the Indian team when it comes to playing under pressure in hostile conditions is undisputed.

It’s been a long wait to see the old warhorse back in the blue jersey and what better timing than this when India needs its most dependable batsman back in action. All one can wish for is a Dravid magic in his farewell series.