Published: Jul 08, 2011, 11:40 AM (IST)
Edited: Mar 27, 2014, 04:59 PM (IST)
By Karthik Parimal
India’s final Test against the West Indies is under way, while England faces Sri Lanka in the final match of their series this Saturday. However, the media attention has already shifted on India’s tour of England which commences later this month. From the onset, India’s tour of the West Indies was a battle of second-string line-ups and hence couldn’t generate enough interest. The England-Sri Lanka series featured a lot of one-sided matches. The India-England series, however, is expected to be well-fought encounter between two of the strongest teams in international cricket. And with the return of many of the heavyweights, India will be a formidable side.
There will be quite a few players who are expected to play key roles in the outcome of this series. With pitches in England favoring genuine fast bowlers and spinners, the advantage doesn’t just tilt towards the batsmen. Hence bowlers from both sides can pose daunting challenge to the batsmen. Below are a few bowlers who are likely to be a force to reckon:
Zaheer Khan: A role model for many upcoming bowlers, Zaheer has been India’s pace spearhead and key to the team’s bowling strategies. He has played a crucial role in the past few years and has looked like getting a wicket every time he came in to bowl in any format of the game. A lot will depend on him if India is to run through England’s top order. The climatic conditions and the pitches in England will definitely assist a bowler like Zaheer who can swing and generate pace which would make him lethal. If he can reproduce the form he showed in the World Cup, he will be a thorn in the flesh of the English batsmen.
Ishant Sharma: He has justified his recall into the national side for the tour of the West Indies with some incisive and consistent bowling that augurs well for India. He is the highest wicket-taker in the ongoing series against West Indies, taking 21 wickets with two five-fors and one ten-wicket haul. He seems to have found his old fiery rhythm back. With Ishant in the kind of form that he is in and the dangerous Zaheer at the other end, England will have no relief from either ends.
Chris Tremlett: He is back after a short break from international cricket, rejuvenated and refreshed. He towered over the batsmen in the series against Sri Lanka and his devastating spell left even the good batsmen clueless. Tremlett is one bowler who can give India’s batting stalwarts a hard time if he is willing to bend his back and hit the deck hard with his height. He showed a lot of promise when he played against India the last time and he will be hoping to perform even better this time around. He took 15 wickets against Sri Lanka and was the highest wicket-taker in the recently-concluded series. However, he is now up against one of the mightiest batting line-ups in the world and it will be interesting to see if he can exude the same confidence and dominate the Indian batsmen in a similar fashion.
Graeme Swann: A lot has been spoken about Swann and how he is one of England’s finest spinners in such a short span of time. Regardless, the litmus test for Swann will be against the subcontinent batsmen, especially the Indians, who are proficient against spin bowling. The likes of Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan, too, were known to be a little less dominant, although effective, against India and Pakistan compared to other teams. Swann was the next best bowler, after Tremlett, in the series against Sri Lanka by picking 12 wickets in the three matches he played. He will have to come up with an unconventional strategy to get through the defense of VVS Laxman or Rahul Dravid and it will be interesting to see if he has the temperament to overcome a Sehwag or Yuvraj blitzkrieg.
Harbhajan Singh: He has been India’s lead spinner after the exit of Anil Kumble and has shouldered responsibility ever since. With 400 scalps to his name, Harbhajan has come up with decent performances more often than not. He has to come up with something special. Harbhajan is capable of causing much more damage to the opposition than he currently does. Harsha Bhogle was right about Harbhajan when he said, “True, there have been patches of brilliance, but far too many inconsequential batsmen have played him with ease.” This series against England will be a chance for Harbhajan to dominate the opposition not only with his batting skills but also with his bowling, which is his primary area of expertise.
Certainly, the upcoming series between India and England will be followed keenly by all and this battle for supremacy will be all the more riveting and entertaining to watch if there is an even contest between the reputable batsmen and these bowlers.
(If cricket is a religion and has many devotees, Karthik Parimal would be a primary worshipper. This 23 year old graduate student, pursuing his Masters in Engineering, could be an appropriate example of how the layers of what inspires, motivates and keeps one happy run deeply in our daily lives. He, unlike others, is not too disappointed about not making it big by playing for the country, but believes that he plays the sport every day with his heart by watching and writing on it)
