England vs India 2014: Can MS Dhoni's men erase the memories of 2011?
India, playing sans the batting legends Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Sachin Tendulkar in England for the first time in two and a half decades, will look to silence critics by putting up a good show in the 5-Test match series vs England which commences in Nottingham from Wednesday.
A new look team, different from the one that suffered a 0-4 whitewash in 2011, arrived in England three weeks before the series gets underway in order to get acclimatized to the conditions and get some invaluable match practice, as they squared up against Leicester and Derbyshire in the two warm up games scheduled. The series starts an important year for Indian cricket with the team touring Australia later this year, followed by the 2015 World Cup, and the youngsters will be looking at an impressive performance which can give them confidence ahead of a gruelling year.
Looking back at 2011
The 2011 series in England was disastrous to say the least. A historical series victory in 2007 was followed up by a lackluster performance in 2011, where no one except Rahul Dravid (461 runs in 4 matches, with a highest of 146*) could make a mark. Add to that, injury to 9 key players and the result was a backlash against a rampaging English team.
That series was also the last time the batting greats were touring England and in many ways it proved to be a water shed moment for Indian cricket, as it prepared us for the end of an era.
Batting – the strength
With the retirement of the dependable troika it is upto the batting youngsters to put their hands up and perform. With the exception of Gautam Gambhir and MS Dhoni no batsmen has played a Test series in england. Without the excess pressure of the 2011 loss, the players would look to make a mark and be counted.
Virat Kohli, the man India has come to rely upon, will undoubtedly be the man to look out for. 3 of his 6 centuries have come in bouncy pitches of South Africa, Australia and New Zealand and he would want to carry on his impressive ODI form into the Tests as well.
However, Cheteshwar Pujara has been singled out by many as the man the Indian team would be looking forward to hold one end up in the series. Often been compared to Dravid for his ability to bat the whole day, Pujara, with his technique and temperament, will largely hold the key to India's success.
The opening pair however remains an Achilles Heel for the team. Shikhar Dhawan, after an impressive debut at home vs Australia, has failed to carry on his form. Both Dhawan and Murali Vijay with a not so impressive 2013 season, would want to make amends and be a permanent fixture in the team.
Knocking close on their heels however is comeback man Gautam Gambhir, who has been reinstated in the team after 2012. The ICC Test Player of 2009, who suffered a head concussion in 2011, hopes to deliver a "knockout punch in the first Test", which would set up the series nicely. Gambhir, coming against an impressive IPL victory, would want to negotiate the new ball and set up a good opening stand, which would help him cement his place in the team.
Bowling – the biggest worry
It goes without saying that the inexperienced bowlers will have their task cut out in the series. The inability of the bowlers to clean up the batting order after initial wickets is one reason which led to the recent losses in South Africa and New Zealand. A case in point is the 2nd Test vs New Zealand in Wellington, where despite being 94/5, the Kiwis managed to score a mammoth 680.
In 2011, the Indians gave away 2809 runs in 4 matches with Praveen Kumar and Ishant Sharma collectively picking up 26 wickets. Contrast this to Stuart Broad’s tally of 25 wickets and James Anderson’s 21, and it tells it's own story.
Ishant Sharma, the spearhead of the attack, along with Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and Mohammad Shami, would want to leave this behind them and instead use the conditions for seam bowling to make an impact. Kapil Dev, India's best all-rounder has a piece of advice for them. "In New Zealand, they were bowling short and that cost us the results. The harder the pitch, you have to bowling more up to the batsmen." He exudes confidence in them, and also agrees that R Ashwin And Ravindra Jadeja will need to compliment them to give India a realistic chance of winning.
Opportunities and Threats for the Indian team
MS Dhoni, the only player who was part of India's historic win under Dravid in 2007 as well as the drubbing of 2011, has his task cut out. After a string of bad performances overseas, the onus is on the captain to turn the tide India's way. However, he should be wary of Alaistar Cook’s boys, who suffered a series loss for the first time to Sri Lanka at home and are looking to regain their lost pride back.
Meanwhile, the Indians would seek to defeat the English when they are down and out. The appointment of Dravid as the team mentor for the 5 match series (a first since 1959 between the 2 nations) augurs well. The win against Derbyshire in the second practice game would have done the team a world of good as they seek to raise the tri-colour once again on English soil.