Concerns remain for India despite the win

After losing the Test series against England at home, Team India needed a victory badly and it was duly delivered on a dust bowl in Chennai. While skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s record smashing 224 hogged most of the limelight, and rightly so, Ravichandran Ashwin’s return to wicket taking ways and the batting performances of Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli also pleased the Indian fans.

India will carry the momentum of the win into the second Test in Hyderabad but it would be foolish on the part of the Indian team management to sit on the laurels and overlook the glaring concerns. After all, not too long ago, England also lost the first Test in Ahmedabad by 9 wickets, only to go on and win the series 2-1.

The Opening Blues

First and foremost issue is the opening pair. Before the series began, Murali Vijay was tipped to open with Virender Sehwag, which he did, but their efforts in the Test left a lot to be desired. After getting their furniture disturbed by James Pattinson in the first innings, the duo failed to see the team through in the second innings in a partly chase of 50. Both Sehwag and Vijay are likely to retain their spots in Hyderabad but with the likes of Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane and Gautam Gambhir waiting in the wings, it is unlikely that further failures will be entertained.

The supposedly faster men

Bhuvneshwar Kumar made his debut in the match but the fact that his batting got more attention than his bowling shows how ineffective he was with the ball. Both Kumar and Ishant Sharma, bowling at about 130 kph, failed to make any impression against the Aussie batsmen – let alone take wickets. As the series progresses, the pitch, especially at Mohali, won’t be assisting the spinners as it did in Chennai and the seamers will have to play a role. With Ashok Dinda as the third option, the Indian pace department looks woefully thin at the moment but somehow they will have to get their wickets column ticking before it gets too late.

Turbanator no more

Many felt Harbhajan Singh’s inclusion in the playing XI had more to do with sentiments over his hundredth Test than his recent performance. His showing in the first Test, 3 wickets for 142 runs, on a raging turner also didn’t inspire confidence. While Ashwin terrorized the opposing batsman by simply sticking to a better length, Harbhajan kept bowling short and was easily scored off by the Australians. Though Dhoni seemed satisfied with his bowling in the second innings, he clearly isn’t the Turbanator that destroyed a much better Australian line up in 2o01. Don’t be surprised if local boy Pragyan Ojha is preferred over Harbhajan for the second Test in Hyderabad.

Lack of killer punch

The inability to clean up the tail has been an old problem for India and it was on display again in Chennai as the game was allowed to drift into the fifth day when ideally an innings victory should have been completed on the fourth evening. Dhoni, who time and again has been criticized for getting defensive too soon, didn’t waste any time in spreading the field for Moises Henriques when the number 11 Nathan Lyon joined him in the middle. The inevitable Indian victory duly arrived despite the spirited 66 run last wicket partnership but often little things like these can spur up a defeated side.