India V England Test Series, 1st Test - An Unexpected Contest

With a day left to play in the 1st test at Nagpur, this India Vs England series appears to have all the makings of a hard fought, enthralling contest. Although for a while there in between it looked as if the series may not live up to it's initial billing cos both teams had to settle for less than favorable results in their respective tours of Paksitan. Worse news was to follow as the English squad where hit with some key injuries just before the 1st Test. A recurring knee problem ended captain Michael Vaughan's tour before he had even warmed up and his deputy Marcus Trescothick having to return to England for personal reasons. They have been reports circulating that he shall be back in time for the 2nd Test.
So I suppose it was perfectly understandable if most viewers expected this to turn out into a dull, dry series. The absence of senior, experienced batters in the England team (The two, Vaughan and Trescothick combine over 11,000 test runs). on top of the English team already missing the services of the wily veteran left-arm spinner, Ashley Giles and Ashes hero, fast bowler Simon Jones.And it's never easy losing your calm, creative skipper at the beginning of what could be a long, arduous tour. Was this team capable of taking on India on home soil? England would have to rely on their charismatic, top-class allrounder and stand-in-captain, Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff to show them way.

And how brilliantly they have responded. Brilliance, in their attention to details, ensuring they did the little things right and playing sensibly when it mattered. At the end of Day 4, England were 297/3 with an overall sizeable lead of 367 runs. With another 7 wickets in hand and Freddie Flintoff yet to come, England would be looking to increase the lead to well over 450 and push India on to the backfoot with some sharp, aggressive bowling. At this stage I'd give them a 60-40 chance of winning this match, but somehow I feel they won't have enough time to bowl India out. If they do then it would definitely be a remarkable upset.
Fantastic contributions from all players is obviously been the difference between the two sides. Matthew Hoggard, provided a master class in sustained, accurate swing bowling, troubled all Indian batsmen, having them hopping around like they were standing bare feet on coal. Crucial centuries by Paul Collingwood in the 1st Innings and an yet to be dismissed century by debutant Alaistair cook. And not to forget, the irrepressable Kevin Pietersen.

For India obviously this has not been the ideal start to they were looking for, having their backs to wall but they can still certainly avoid defeat. The burgeoning pressure on Sehwag and Dravid to score the bulk of the runs for India is starting to get worrisome. Yuvraj Singh's absence both with the bat and on the field was distinctly felt and though, his replacement Mohd. Kaif settled down to play a pivotal innings, he does not inspire confidence. The Ganguly saga, as randramble accurately pointed out, just refuses to die down and everytime the Indian middle order appears shaky, questions are raised as to whether Ganguly should be brought back to strengthen the batting line-up. And why are Indian selectors hell-bent on treating Indian openers like dirt? What could possibly be the reason for bringing in Wasim Jaffer in place of Gautham Gambhir? It's disheartening enough that a precious, steady opener like Akash Chopra, who performed splendidly in Australia, has now been completely left out national reckoning. Unless Gambhir was left out for injuries, this replacement is a complete waste of everybody's time, cos even if Wasim jaffer scores a triple century tomorrow, he is by no stretch of the imagination, a LONG TERM OPENING PROSPECT.


So what made this series potentially exciting in the first place? Well for one, it's a clash between two equally matched teams. For my money England is without doubt, the second best cricket test team in the world and India would surely fancy themselves at Number 3 or number 4 spot. The difference between the number 2 team and subsequent two teams is often negligible.And yes, I'm sure that there are several out there who would be quick to disagree and lay out your case as to why England would be a much better squad. But let me hastily add that, India is a tough team to beat at home and England have, as history books would love to point out, always underperformed under sub-continental conditions. Several wise men have also famously agreed that 'history is bunk'. Both teams look at this series as an opportunity to raise the level of their games and try to compete with Australia for top spots.

This present English team has been making steady progress over the past few years. Under the dynamic captaincy of Michael Vaughan and coach Duncan Fletcher, they have matured quite wonderfully and built upon the strength's and successes initated during Nasser Hussein's tenure as captain. And who can ever forget last summer's heroics in the Ashes? Quite simply a remarkable sporting event which shall hold a place in the our cricketing consiousness and brought cricket back to the forefront in England and elsewhere. A lot is expected from this present English side which is not totally unreasonable, cos they have all the required arsenal and armory to take on the best teams.

They have already sent across a clear message to the Indians- that they are here to win and the Indians need to respond with equal purpose and aggression.

-Nav

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