Published: Aug 09, 2011, 10:19 AM (IST)
Edited: Apr 15, 2014, 11:29 AM (IST)
By Dhananjay Devasper
The omens ahead of the third Test do not augur well for the Indian team. Zaheer Khan, their pace spearhead, will be out of action for four months. For a team which needs at least a victory and a draw to keep their No 1 Test ranking, this news has come at the worst possible time. To win a Test match you need to take 20 wickets and take them quickly. Of all the Indian bowlers, the wily Zaheer was India’s best bet in picking up wickets and build pressure at one end.
RP Singh, who last played a Test match in 2008, fills in the breach caused by Zaheer. It appears that Mahendra Singh Dhoni has got his way once again with the selectors. It’s common knowledge that the left-arm pacer is a close friend of the Indian captain. If this clicks, it will be hailed as an inspired selection, but if it backfires, it could possibly end up being yet another reason for Dhoni’s critics to come out strongly against him. Needless to say, the pressure on RP will be enormous. He’s replacing one of the best bowlers in the world in any form of cricket. RP has to make it count.
The England side has had two very easy victories and it will be extremely difficult for this weary Indian side to pick themselves up. Even the maestro Sachin Tendulkar seems to be out of sorts; his positive body language on the field does not exude much confidence. Other than Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, no one looks comfortable in English conditions. Yuvraj Singh’s second innings at Trent Bridge was painful to watch; he was all at sea against short deliveries.
The return of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, should bring back some solidity to the top order. Though he had a brief stay at the wicket in the tour game, Sehwag is an extremely dangerous customer, who can take the pitch out of the equation. The team, no doubt, will look up to him as the messiah. In both the Tests played so far, India has been found wanting in putting up the kind of total that could have pressured the English side. A blistering innings from Sehwag might just be the tonic that the beleaguered Indian team is looking out for.
And if one were to take a leaf out of the English bowlers, it would do well for the Indian bowlers to test the English batsman with some unconventional stuff, slower ones or bouncers for a change. Don’t always “Pitch it up”, because someone in the commentary box thinks it is the best thing to do. Try and concentrate on getting a few quiet periods in the game when the going is against you and dry up the runs. The bowlers have been guilty of leaking too many runs in a session and thereby influencing a complete momentum shift in the game.
Finally Dhoni, faces his biggest test as a leader in terms of inspiring a comeback from mediocrity. His leadership has been found wanting, his personal form in shambles and his body language on the field does not suggest that there is a comeback in the offing. It’s time to perk up for the remaining Tests and ensure that some pride is restored for the World’s No. 1 team.
Stay tuned…
(Dhananjay Devasper is an “IT guy” by profession and a sports fanatic at heart. He has an unbridled passion for sports and Indian achievements in sport. Extremely opinionated, he attempts offering perspectives around sports which are simple to understand and easy to relate with)
