While the rest of the world seemed to gloat over the inevitable eviction of the Indian Cricket team from the top of the ICC Test ranking list, the English, who felled the goliath went about a silent and dignified way in doing the task. This is one defining aspect of the current English team that makes them a much more likeable bunch than the Invincible Aussies of yore. In victory as in defeat, they maintain a high level of dignity. Test rankings will come and go but the respect for this team will stand the test of time for a very long while.
Much of the credit for the resurgence of England as a Cricket powerhouse goes to the reticent but tenacious Andy Flower. He had the opportunity of being a part of the Zimbabwe team that rose to a record prominence and then waned to deplorable troughs. Having lived through that kind of an experience, Flower is ideally placed to guide a talented but mercurial England team to its true and deserved glory. Although the ODI team is yet to stamp its dominance the way the Test team has, it sure has shown signs of definite greatness. Under the aegis of the wily coach and the new captain we may see some very interesting results in the coming ODI series against India.
Most of the columnists have discussed at length how India lost the series in England. The actual story however is how England won the battle. India, with all their excuses, cannot seriously disbelieve that they were up against an England team that they would have found difficult to beat even with all their resources at optimal efficiency. Last time when India toured England, arguably they had the best XI at their disposal. The middle order was the strongest with all four apostles in form, bowling had a bite to it with the likes of Zaheer Khan and Kumble snapping wickets. But that was four years back. Since then, India has found no successor for Sourav Ganguly in the 5/6 position, no spinner to match the prowess of Kumble and no fast bowler who can provide cover for the indifferent fitness of Zaheer Khan. Having said that, it is hard to imagine how a single fully fit Zaheer Khan or a more confident Raina could have altered the end result in any considerable way. Long story short, England had far better resources and the distinct home advantage to win the series with ease. India, on the other hand, have a long list of questions to answer.
The usual sabre rattling has commenced as the ODI series is about to begin. Indians, though victor in all three practice games, do not seem to have solved the bowling equation yet. R.P. Singh has shown rare promise after the disastrous outing at the Oval and new import Varun Aaron has been sent on a leatherhunt on the only occasion that he had to make a solid case for himself. Except for Praveen Kumar and Ashwin, no other bowler has shown any constancy in form. This is a case of worry for India as they will have to bet on 7+4 combination and anyone bowler not performing at an accepted level will seriously unbalance their strategy. England on the other hand have a whole bunch of in-form players who are more than capable of delivering the killer punch. Having won the series against Sri Lanka with some commendable performances, their confidence has every reason to be soaring high. It will be an interesting series as India will have mighty lot to defend and England a bounty to gain. It is also a litmus test for India’s bench and will determine whether the team was running on fumes when it won the World Cup or does it have able players to stand up in the absence of the stalwarts. All in all, a very exciting couple of weeks of Cricket action ahead.
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