India Tour Of England - Tour Preview

“Dhoni finishes off in style! India lift the World Cup after 28 years!”

Images of an emotional Sachin Tendulkar sprinting towards MS Dhoni are constructed in our minds, when we hear these words, mouthed by Ravi Shastri. Cutting back to that moment, on the night of the 2^nd of April,  we remember jumping in joy and elation, celebrating India’s World Cup triumph. During those crazy celebrations, did we, in our wildest thoughts ever imagine India’s fate in their then upcoming tours to England and Australia? The answer at that moment would have surely been a NO! Who could have imagined the number one test side being whitewashed in England and Australia?

In between the two World Cups, the Indian side has toured England, Australia, New Zealand , South Africa and the West Indies. In all, they have played 15 overseas test matches, and appallingly, have emerged victorious in just a single test. The worse stat is yet to come. The Indians have lost ten of those 15 away tests, and in just one of those losses, the team looked competitive. The rest nine loses depicted a sorry tale for Indian cricket lovers. Now though, seven months before the World Cup, lies an opportunity of redemption for the Indian side.

To be fair to MS Dhoni, the English side which whitewashed the Indians was the best English side. No other English side was as complete as them at that moment. Their openers and middle order batsmen had piled up freakish numbers before the tests, and continued to do so. Their seamers had annihilated almost every batting lineup with their discipline and control. And if that was not enough, their spinner was the best in the world at that phase. On the other hand, the Indians, were without their swashbuckling opener, Virender Sehwag for the first two tests. Their best bowler had deserted them on the first day of the tour and the spinner was in the worst phase of his career. And to make matters worse for the tourists, their stalwart batsmen were in the twilight of their careers. Just one man took the English bowlers head on. It was the Indian Wall, Rahul Dravid who stood tall for them. Dravid amassed three centuries in the series. Almost all of them were brought up, with the tail.

However, this time around there seems to be hope for this young Indian side. The Indian side may be short on experience but they are full of hope and positivity. Only three members of the Indian squad have played test matches in England before. Barring Ishant Sharma, the captain of the bowling department, the Indian seamers  together have an experience of just 13 test caps, with two of the seamers yet to debut. The middle order may not have played with the red Duke Ball in England, but their run scoring ability will make Indian fans hopeful. Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli did terrifically well in South Africa and piled up the runs. Kohli had a great New Zealand tour as well. In the last couple of overseas test tours, Kohli averages a staggering 69.4 with two tons and a 96.

The Indian bowling did manage to trouble the Proteas and Kiwis on several occasions. In both the tours, it was just one poor show with the ball which spoilt the party of the Indians. The best part for Indians was that Ishant Sharma; the lanky pacer bowled with discipline, and was the best seamer on display. Ishant during the couple of tours was the pick of the bowlers and took 20 wickets at an average of 34.5. Though the average was high, it was still lower than his career average. The one positive aspect about Ishant has been his fitness and his ability to bend his back and bowl the long spells. His fitness has never been doubted. More often, its his line and length which makes him an easy pick for the set batsmen. If Ishant manages to sort that issue in this tour, then the Indian fans will surely have something to cheer about.

It will be interesting to see the team combination of the Indians. India’s weak point has been the inability to take 20 wickets. For that, 5 bowlers are a must in the side. If MS Dhoni goes in with 6 batsmen and five bowlers, then it will be Stuart Binny who would make his debut at Trent Bridge. The case of R.Ashwin getting a game too cannot be ruled out. But that may only happen if the pitch is as arid as a desert. Otherwise, it’s the tried and tested means of seven batsmen and four bowlers which will complete the Indian side.

Players to watch out for:

Virat Kohli:

If there’s anyone in this side, who can attack a rampaging James Anderson, it’s Virat Kohli. Kohli was phenomenal in South Africa and New Zealand. During the Johannesburg test, Dale Steyn looked like just another bowler against Virat Kohli. His ability to counter attack in any situation makes him one of the most feared batsmen in world cricket. Not a single weakness has been spotted in Virat’s technique and run making ability. His drives and pulls are a treat to the eyes. Spotting a weakness in Kohli’s batting is as rare as spotting a swimming pool in a desert.

Cheteshwar Pujara:

The Indian batting unit may not have Rahul Dravid, but it surely has a Pujara. It may be too premature to compare Pujara with the great, but the signs as of now have looked promising. Pujara’s most significant asset has been his temperament and ability to play the ball on its merit. His 153 against the South Africans was filled with an array of strokes all over the carpet. In New Zealand, Pujara was troubled by the odd ball coming in and did look a tad uncomfortable. But in the meantime, Pujara would have surely worked out on that flaw. Pujara’s ability to counter the new ball from Anderson and Broad will pretty much sum up India’s response to the English bowling. Pujara may even be given the role of the opener if the regular openers fail. But that seems quite unlikely.

Ravindra Jadeja:

Indians have always missed the presence of an all rounder. Jadeja’s presence in the side may well be the answer to those worries. Jadeja’s credentials as a bowler are enough to cement his place in the side. But its his numbers with the bat, which have disappointed Indian fans. A batting average of just 20.77 surely doesn’t do justice to Jadeja’s batting talent. In the England tour, he may add on vital runs while batting with the tail, which may be decisive. Jadeja with the ball would be crucial. His six for on the green Durban track would be fresh in the minds of the Indian fans. If he can replicate any of that success, then the Indian team would have a major strategic gain.

Bhuvaneshwar Kumar:

In the tour of 2011 to England, it was Praveen Kumar who was the pick of the Indian bowlers. His outswingers troubled every English batsman. This time around, there is Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, a bowler from the same state as Praveen. Bhuvaneshwar is 8-10 km/hr quicker than Praveen and his accuracy and discipline makes him a must have in the side. Kumar’s ability to bowl long spells makes him an asset. In the 2013 Champions Trophy, played in England, Kumar got rid of left handed batsmen with utmost ease. It will be interesting to see, whether Kumar makes the English skipper Alastair Cook his bunny or not.

Mohammed Shami:

Since his debut, Shami has looked like a genuine wicket taking bowler. The reverse swing which he generates makes him a customer difficult to negotiate. In South Africa and New Zealand, Shami looked threatening to a great extent. But his control over his outswing deliveries was minimal; and this helped the batsmen to a great extent. In England, he would be required to bowl aggressive spells and the conditions too would suit his style of bowling.

This time, India may feel fortunate, as they would be facing an England side low on confidence. The Sri Lankans have defeated England at  their home turf. Australia managed to stun the Proteas in their own backyard. And recently, the Kiwis too defeated the West Indies in their own backyard. Its now time for the Indians, to get rid of this massive overweight monkey off their back; when it comes to winning overseas. No better place than England to do this. The Indians would want to finish their nightmare, from where it all began for them.

The Dhoni Dilemma

“MS. Dhoni is surely the best captain India has ever had”.

“Leave alone captaincy, in my opinion MS Dhoni does not even qualify in my playing eleven”.

You are in for an utter shock, when you realize that both these statements were said by the same individual and that too within the span of just over 6 months. The individual behind making these hard hitting statements was none other than Sourav Ganguly, the ex captain of the Indian team. What prompted him to change his stance so dramatically, just like in a typical overcooked Bollywood film? The answer to the above question is profusely uncomplicated. India’s performance in overseas test matches was the sole and prime reason. Moreover, it was the humiliation through the hands of England and Australia, which made the Prince of Calcutta say those harsh words towards the Indian skipper.

Indian fans are familiar with that grim look.

The twin disasters endured by team India in the two nations and eventual whitewashes had left millions of Indian cricket fans in a literal ‘revolt’ against the Indian skipper. From Facebook to Twitter, everyone wanted to savagely rip apart Dhoni for the failures overseas. For millions, Dhoni was the true culprit behind the twin whitewashes in England and Australia. But were they correct in blaming Dhoni to such a colossal extent?

Well, had the critics of MS Dhoni analyzed the defeats well, then their mindless words may not have surfaced on a global platform.  On the first day of the very first test match in England, India’s spearhead of the seam bowling department, Zaheer Khan, broke down, and limped off the field courtesy of a hamstring injury. Zaheer limped off, only to return to India and the 13.3 overs which he bowled, were his only overs of the tour. For the rest of the test, India were without their best bowler, and the spinner Harbhajan Singh too was in his worst phase. Praveen Kumar was the only one who troubled the Poms to a certain extent. The Indian batting card was a line up of misery. Only the Wall, Rahul Dravid resisted the might of the English bowling. What followed over the next five days was shambolic for India. The visitors lost the game by  196 runs. Indians were positive, that the team would bounce back in the next test match, but the tale for the next seven overseas test matches had been destined, and a gloomy phase awaited team India.

Over the due course of the 8 overseas test matches, teams changed and venues changed, but that grim look on Dhoni’s face remained the same. In the due span of those 8 test matches, Indian news channels were busy cursing Captain Cool, even without examining the facts.

To win a test match, it’s the duty of the bowlers to get 20 wickets. But when it comes to overseas test matches, the Indian bowlers are all at sea. Ishant Sharma, who was termed as the ‘next big thing’ during the controversial Down Under tour in 2007-08 averages 37.56 with the red ball. Well, those numbers are even unacceptable for part timers; and Ishant is considered India’s premier seamer. Ironic isn’t it? Ishant, during those 8 drubbings took 16 wickets and averaged 68.18 runs per wicket. The numbers speak for themselves. To criticize Dhoni, people often allege that Ishant wasn’t given attacking field settings to bowl at. In the first case, Ishant was all over the place in those 8 test matches. It was only in the first 2 of the eight tests, where Ishant looked mesmerizing. In the rest of the six tests, he was a free ticket to the batsmen. From bowling poor line and lengths, to dropping sitters off his own bowling, Ishant had been the antagonist in several ways.

If the seamers don’t bowl according to the plan, then it is the duty of the spinners to bowl with responsibility. But team India took a beating in that department as well. If we consider the last four overseas test matches (South Africa and New Zealand tours), where in the team has shown some character, then too the spinners do not have good numbers. The four tests in South Africa and New Zealand make it 12 winless overseas tests for India. In those 12 test matches, India has tried 4 spinners, but none of them has performed as per the expectations. Among those 4, Ravindra Jadeja was the only one, who did moderately well. His show on the green Durban track was worth its weight in gold. His 6 for in the first innings of the Durban test, was the only bright spot in the spin department in the 12 overseas tests. The four spinners in the span of 12 tests average 76.86 runs per wicket! And yes, they are considered to be assets to the team!

The following are the stats of the spinners who have played in the 12 tests:

NAME	RUNS	WICKETS	AVERAGE
Harbhajan Singh	287	1	287.00
Amit Mishra	320	3	106.67
R.Ashwin	673	9	74.77
Ravindra Jadeja	411	9	45.67

The stats of the spinners portray a sorry tale. If the bowlers are not able to perform then why are people still cursing MS Dhoni? A question that may sadly never have an answer.

To set aggressive fields for the bowlers, a captain must have a respectable total on board. To add to Dhoni’s woes, even that wasn’t possible in several matches for the Indian team. The batting if not worse, was equally embarrassing as the bowling. In those 12 test matches, the Indian team averages a mere 27.12 per wicket. Nothing more needs to be said about the “world’s best batting lineup”. MS Dhoni, in the 12 matches, averages 25.4. But kindly don’t forget that he has that added burden of wicket keeping and captaincy. The batting and bowling stats of the team, depict and summarize the sorry state of the Indians when it comes to overseas test matches.

So, is it right to blame MS Dhoni alone for the losses? Well, even after showing you the stats of the entire team, you still feel that Dhoni is the culprit, then you are a pro MSD hater, and nothing more. In those 12 tests, the team has failed as a whole unit, and not just MS Dhoni, who is being mercilessly targeted.

Amidst those 12 tests overseas, Dhoni has captained India in 15 tests at home, and won in 11 of those, losing just 2. But sadly those 2 losses which came against England, meant that for the first time in 8 years, India lost a test series at home. But if we look at the positives, the Aussies were whitewashed 4-0 under Dhoni’s regime. A question to Dhoni critics will put them in troubled waters. Which other captain has whitewashed Australia?

In the Australia whitewash, Dhoni led from the front, and played one of the greatest knocks in test cricket, scoring 224 off just 265 balls. The knock punctured the Kangaroos for the rest of the tour. Playing the aggressive brand of cricket is what takes Dhoni to the top. In the last  test played in Wellington, Dhoni looked aggressive from the start and scored 68 runs off sheer dominance. In the past as well, whenever Dhoni has been aggressive overseas with the bat, he has done well. For instance the twin 70’s in the Birmingham test, in 2011.

The last couple of tours to South Africa and New Zealand have looked promising for the team. In the first test of both the tours, the team was on the verge of defeating the respective hosts. But it was either the bowling or atrocious umpiring which didn’t let India win.

Cricketing greats like Rahul Dravid have hailed the team for their show in the previous couple of tours, and have said that Dhoni should captain in tests atleast till the Australia tour next year. Any decision on his captaincy should be taken after the Down Under tests in January 2015. Till then lets give MS Dhoni his space and hope that team India does well overseas.

  Can Dhoni create history in England?

ICC World T20 Preview- India

The past few months have been utterly disastrous for the Indian team. It all started in South Africa, where the men in blue were thrashed in the ODI’s, and in the Durban Test. The touring party then headed for New Zealand, with some hope. But miserably, those hopes were conked out by the Kiwis. The Kiwis were ruthless in the ODI’s, and gave the tourists a complete hammering. Nothing great was expected from the Indian team, for the Asia Cup; as the team was highly inexperienced, and more significantly, without the services of MS Dhoni. As anticipated, the team couldn't even reach the finals, and were on their way to Mumbai even before the finals of the Asia Cup.

But now, there seems to be genuine hope for this bruised and dented team. The T20 World Cup is just around the corner, and to add the icing on the cake, the mega event is being hosted by Bangladesh. The conditions of Bangladesh are pretty similar to that of India. Lightening quick outfields, slow and low wickets, moderate boundary lengths and heavy purchase for spinners will surely ease the Indians to a great extent. And what’s more? India’s greatest match winner in limited overs and the best finisher are back into the team. Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni will be making a comeback to the side after being dropped and injured respectively.

Along with them, India’s most efficient T20 star will make a sort of a comeback as well. Suresh Raina. When these three get going, there’s no stopping them what-so-ever. The three of these swashbucklers, will form the core of the middle order, which was highly fragile in the recently concluded Asia Cup.  However, the team management will have a colossal headache regarding the opening combination. Shikhar Dhawan, the Delhi dynamite is one certainty. But the identity of his opening partner remains a mystery. There is one spot, and there are two contenders up for the grab.

Rohit Sharma is the first candidate. Rohit Sharma, who is almost synonyms with the term talent (pun intended) has had moderate success as an opener. But the last few innings for him as an opener have been profusely disappointing. Rohit averages a mere 27.2 as an opener in the last 10 innings which he has played in. To add to his woes, Rohit has been extremely slow to start off. He tends to leave way too many deliveries.  Sharma’s strike rate of 70.4 in his last 10 innings as an opener has been even more disappointing than his average. The two stats on combining leave behind a sorry tale of Sharma. On analysing his performance, it is evident that he not only starts off slowly, but also falls cheaply and that too after getting set. If Rohit consumes so many deliveries, and then makes use of the start by getting to a big individual score, then it’s a different thing all together. But it’s completely useless if he plays so many deliveries and then throws it off by playing a rash shot. The slow starts by Sharma even add extra burden on Shikhar Dhawan, who then has to make up for the slow progress from the other end.

Rohit’s competitor for the opening slot is Ajinkya Rahane. Rahane had a dream debut for India, against England in the T20 played at the Old Trafford. Post that brilliance, Rahane has looked off colour for India whenever he played T20I’s. The one aspect in his favour would be his recent form, which is much better than Rohit. Against Afghanistan, Ajinkya was asked to open, and surely did his chances no harm, by scoring a fluent half century. His IPL and CLT20 stats too boost his chances of selection. An IPL average of 38, on any given day should be your passport to the playing eleven. Rahane has a similar shortfall to that of Rohit. Both are highly inconsistent, when it comes to donning the Indian outfit. Choosing between the two is really difficult, but most likely; it will be Rohit, who will feature against Pakistan on the 21^st as an opener.

A third opening combination is also possible, and the team management may gamble on it. The Delhi dashers, Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan may be asked to open, with Rohit being employed to finish the innings with a flourish, as he has done it for his IPL franchise. But this combination seems highly unlikely.

STRENGTH: The strength of the Indian team lies in the batting. Shikhar Dhawan in his current form can take the game away from the opposition single- handedly. Virat Kohli’s form needs no introduction. The freakish numbers speak for themselves. Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh are the safest middle order bets in T20 cricket. The Yuvi-Raina combo is so destructive that the two of them can change the outlook of the match, within the span of a few deliveries. Yuvraj’s previous two T20 scores are as follows: 77*(35); 72(36). Both these knocks were scored against quality bowling attacks of Australia and Pakistan respectively. MS Dhoni’s finishing abilities have spared no bowler, and no target is big enough against the world’s most dangerous batsman. ‘Sir’ Ravindra Jadeja too can finish with a flurry. The Indian batting is so burly that no total is safe against them.

WEAKNESS: Unfortunately, the strong batting set up has numerously been let down by the appalling bowling efforts. Whenever the terms “helpless” and “hopeless” have been associated with Indian cricket, it’s been for their bowling. The efforts of the batsmen will be absolutely worthless, if the bowlers do not cease  their embarrassing performances. Another source of worry for the Indians is that the bowler, who is to lead the attack, hasn’t even made his T20I debut yet! Shocking! Isn’t it? Experience has been another issue for this team. India has played just one T20I,in the last 440 days. In the same time frame, Pakistan have played 12 T20I’s.

PLAYERS TO WATCH OUT FOR:

SHIKHAR DHAWAN

If his current form is anything to go by, then the signs are encouraging. The onus will be on Shikhar Dhawan to lay a solid platform, and also to take India off to blazing starts. His starts will be really crucial for the team. The middle order batsmen can express themselves freely, if Dhawan is in his usual flow.

YUVRAJ SINGH

All eyes will be on the comeback man, and India’s best T20 player. Yuvraj will have to break the shackles and ensure that the team posts a healthy total. While chasing, Yuvi’s hard and disparaging hitting will come into the picture, if the required rate is on the higher side. Along with his astounding hitting ability, his part time tweaks will also be crucial. In the previous edition of the T20 WC, Yuvi got India the momentous breakthroughs. It will be a delight for MS Dhoni, if he does that again.

RAVINDRA JADEJA

‘Sir’ Ravindra Jadeja has been in great form, with the bat as well as with the ball. His bowling has won India many games, and the team will need his magic to win games. Jadeja’s inclination towards taking wickets at critical junctures in the game played a major role in India’s triumphant Champions Trophy campaign. Similar results are expected off him, if India are to win this edition of the T20 WC. His batting will come in handy as well.

RAVICHANDRAN ASHWIN

Ashwin’s T20 international figures have been horrendous, and defy his match winning qualities. Nothing like the world cup platform to redeem himself, and set the record straight. Ashwin, with his variations will come in handy, on the Bangladeshi wickets, which will assist him. His skill of containing and taking wickets may make the difference at the end of the day between a win and a loss for India.

CHANCES OF WINNING: HIGH

As of now, Indians are the clear favourites to win the title after Australia. The Australians on current form, are way ahead than any other team. But India can expect stiff competition from the team of mercurial men, Pakistan. Sri Lanka too can never be written off in an ICC Event. India though, are the second favourites to lift the fifth edition of the ICC World T20. Only time will tell though, if that’s the case.

Photo Courtesy: www.espncricinfo.com