From England to Australia - India on path to regain Test supremacy

The England series in the summer of 2011 made us realize quite a few things. The seniors were growing older with every passing day and the youngsters hadn’t been properly groomed to face the rigours of Test cricket. India was quite under-prepared to face the opposition on alien turfs. Yet, the level of confidence was quite overwhelming. India had just beaten a low ranked West Indies in West Indies and carried the credits over to England without comprehending the repercussions of being under-prepared, which they were about to understand soon enough.

More than the above shortcomings, it was the lack of quality bowlers that troubled India, so much so that the skipper Dhoni removed his gloves to take a ‘swing’ at the batsman. “Nothing could have been more humiliating than this” – opined Kapil Dev. But what was Dhoni supposed to do? Conjure a bowler magically from the heavens? Harbhajan was supposedly down with an injury. I wouldn’t blame him. He wouldn’t have made an impact even if he had played. His career was over and he knew it. Maybe he was expecting to grasp again the basics of being a Test match bowler in the rehabilitation time and shake off the rustiness. Zaheer, on the other hand, is so fragile that he can’t walk through a street without injuring himself. Dhoni would not have expected this from two of his best bowlers. He was left to fight the battle with a mediocre Amit Mishra and a ‘right-from-the-vacation’ R.P. Singh. It was the indication of the depths that Indian cricket has sunk to.

A major change ensued or rather a show was put-on; Harbhajan was dropped for the Test series against West Indies at home. Yet, Sehwag and Gambhir were spared the axe and were given a reprieve, keeping in mind their exploits more than a year back. It was understandable that BCCI wanted the revenues so badly to persist with non-performing ‘stars’. Meanwhile, R. Ashwin was handed a chance to make his debut.

The West Indies series was done and dusted as a new star was born in Ashwin. He bamboozled the batsmen and scored some crucial runs. The fans and the media were happy and accepted the team as it was. The openers hadn’t fired and the middle-order looked rusty and crumbling. No investigations were undertaken even as the board and the team management kept the fans in the dark about the ‘rifts’ that were surfacing among certain senior players.

India travelled to Australia with false hopes and promises as they were touted to take on an inexperienced Australian side. The Indian team, whereas, were filled with seniors. They pledged to get the better of Australia and wash the sins of the whitewash against England in a masterly fashion.

The set-up couldn’t have been better. Rahul Dravid was in the form of his life and VVS Laxman had notched up a mammoth hundred against West Indies that won him the man of the match award. Virender Sehwag was not far behind as he cracked a whirlwind 219 in ODIs against West Indies to kindle the expectations of the fans.

India did dominate, but only in two places; the one where Dravid gave the Bradman Oration and the first two days of the first Test. It was a perfect start to an important series. Having bundled the Australians for less than 340, India were looking solid at 214 runs for the loss of just three wickets. Sehwag, Dravid and Tendulkar got half-centuries with Rahul Dravid remaining not out overnight. India were supposed to gain a huge lead in the following day with Dravid all set for another ton. But what unfolded was an eye-sore for the Indian fans on the morning of the third day, as they were treated to some genuine fast bowling by the Australians. Wickets fell in heap as India faltered. They were bundled up for 282 and the script went awry from that point of the series.

India trudged home after the whitewash and the speculations of axing and sackings soon followed. The media was having a field day, compiling the whys and hows of India’s loss. Nothing materialised of course, if you do not count the retirements of Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman. There were more pressing issues to be dealt with. The board and the team management failed to understand that the retirements of the stalwarts are not going to help the team one bit.

It was like viewing a languid tele-serial as the board kept playing the same old drama over and over again. They brought us Sri Lanka and New Zealand and made us forget the blasphemies of the past. India was back to business as usual, on their backyard. The youngsters seemed like fitting into the big shoes of the seniors, while actually they were merely filling them temporarily.

The openers failed once again, along with Sachin. The spin-bowlers turned out to be our saving grace once again as Ashwin and Ojha shared the majority of the wickets against New Zealand while the batting disappointments were swept under the rug.

Then England came.

It was a general perception that England was poor at playing spin as demonstrated by Pakistan earlier in the year. Therefore, the series was considered as a walk in the park for India. They only had to emulate the bowling performances of the Pakistanis. It is easier said than done. The board played some underhand tricks to undermine the opposition. The skipper voiced his support for spinning tracks as they wanted to pay back the dues of the old.

India was clinical in the first Test with Ojha and Pujara performing extremely well. Sehwag got a century as well and things were looking good after a long time. The team were callously confident about their chances after they beat England comprehensively. Dhoni was now sure of his opinions. He was vociferous in his demand for spinning tracks to humiliate England as they did India in England. This is where the over-confidence of India was objectified by the captain.

India lost the series, to cut the long story short. The seniors were the culprits yet again. Apart from saving their skin with some good-for-nothing scores, there was nothing substantial. This time, the fury and the wrath were directed at the skipper. It was a twist of fate and luck as Dhoni tried to battle the media single-handedly. He turned into the self proclaimed ‘punch-bag’ of the team as he put up with all the criticisms. The board finally saw fit to score off a few names from the team chart and yet, they did not have the courage to do the needy. Sehwag was still retained and Harbhajan found a place in the team. There was nothing else the board could do; according to them it would be preposterous to drop all the seniors at once.

The only reassurance was the sacking of Gautam Gambhir. The new board sent out warning signals to non-performers in the team. But the team still lacked the zeal to blow away the opponents, even if they are inexperienced. No more hypes preceded the series as India realized that they would only humiliate themselves.

The Australians came to India and this time, the board did not bother playing the underhand tricks. The first Test was a success, yes. But India still has some huge gaps to fill. Sehwag was sloppy for the umpteenth time both on the field and with the bat. He was unlucky, but all the same, the Sehwag of the old would have gotten more runs in the ten odd balls that he faced. Therefore I can safely assume that he is only a ghost of the past. It is time to look ahead of the past credentials.

The only change from the previous series was the form of Sachin. Things looked charming as the ball kept hitting the sweet spot of his bat. But one cannot be assured that he would replicate his effort in the forthcoming Test matches. The fast bowlers looked pretty indifferent as usual and their services were not required. But they should be ready to provide the breakthroughs when the situation demands.

India has completed an emphatic victory over Australia. But it is still not the time to let the guard down. They have a pretty rough road ahead. India should forgo complacency and should look to close out the series in the very next match in their favour. The series can’t be decided, but it could be a sense of relief to finally know that India won’t lose this series definitely!