India ODI Team - A Reality Check
The ODI series between India and England is over with the home team not only winning the series but also climbing to the top of ICC ODI rankings. Having seen India in 8 ODI’s at home this season, one feels that the team is far from a finished article; instead it’s more of a work in progress, particularly with a young seam attack, a young spinner who experiments a lot and a shaky, unsettled top order. In the end, results are there for all to see: 4-4 win-loss record in ODI’s at home.
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After the hammering at the hands of old foes Pakistan in a short 3 match series, coupled with the loss in the series opener against England, it was a commendable performance by Indian team to bounce back and win the next 3 ODI’s and seal the series. The heartening aspect for India was that it was a different set of players who put their hands up and made those key contributions. If it was Dhoni and Jadeja (with both bat and ball) at Kochi, it was the young bowlers and Virat Kohli at Ranchi, while Raina and the enigmatic Rohit Sharma contributed at Mohali. Gains for India, as Dhoni admitted at the end of the series, were Ravindra Jadeja, Suresh Raina and three seamers – Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shami Ahmed and Ishant Sharma. After a mauling at Rajkot, Ishant bounced back nicely to lead the attack as the most experienced of the seamers. Though he still needs to learn the art of bowling at the death, it is something that will come with time. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, I thought, was used smartly by MS Dhoni. Bowling 10 overs on the trot at the top and nine wickets at an economy rate of below 4.5 runs per over, raises hopes of more to come from him. Shami Ahmed with his pace and McGrath-esque line showed promise for the future.
However the two biggest gains for India in the ODI leg of the winter were the form of Ravindra Jadeja and Suresh Raina. Raina, who promised a lot against Pakistan, finally delivered against England. While his credentials as a limited overs cricketer were never in doubt, it was the situations in which Raina came to bat and delivered which would have pleased the team management. Ravindra Jadeja ,whose name was taken in the same breath as that of WG Grace, Bill Ponsford, Don Bradman, Wally Hammond, Graeme Hick, Brian Lara and Michael Hussey a couple of months back after his exploits in first class cricket, was yet to deliver a performance of note at a level above. Jadeja not only out-bowled his senior spinning partner, Ashwin, with 13 wickets in 7 ODIs at an economy rate of less than 4 per over, but also showed that he can bat at International level too. With this performance, one hopes that he has solved that all-rounders’ puzzle, in sub-continent conditions at least.
When a team wins, it tends to ignore or push the problems to the back seat. But despite their 3-2 triumph over an England team without many of its key players, India would do well to focus on areas where they need to improve. For India, the problem starts at the top. The England series provided a great opportunity for Rahane to show why he shouldn’t be warming the benches but he didn’t seize it. Gambhir continues to struggle and it remains to be seen how long he will be persisted with. For me, the biggest worrying signs were in the two day ODI games this season, one under overcast conditions at Chennai and the other in chilly conditions at Dharamsala. In both these games, the Indian top order capitulated in bowler friendly conditions to Pakistan and England respectively. Be it Gambhir, Sehwag, Kohli, Rohit or Yuvraj, none were willing to give that crucial hour to the bowlers and wait for conditions to ease out. These are certainly not good signs because three of these five play Tests and more importantly, India’s next ODI assignment will be the Champions Trophy in England in June where conditions will be similar to those two mornings at Chennai and Dharamsala. One hopes that amidst the glitz and glamour of IPL VI, which will precede the Champions Trophy, the BCCI and the team management keeps an eye on the big picture and addresses this issue.