On November 15th England will embark on yet another mission to attempt to put right the wrongs of a previous winter’s failings on the subcontinent. However, this winter promises to be anything but a bog standard test series, with sub plots a plenty to tempt any cricket loving student into getting up at 5 AM to catch the action.
Alastair Cook inherits an England team which appears to be strong on paper. With the return of Kevin Pietersen, the batting looks strong with new boy Nick Compton expected to join the ever solid skipper Alistair Cook at the top of the order. The middle order has men capable of scoring big runs, essential on flat Indian wicket. Cook and Flower will hope that this tour will be the making of Ian Bell in Asian conditions. He has previously struggled in the sub continental environment, particularly against mystery spin. This should be less of an issue this winter without Saeed Ajmal turning the ball both ways past his groping bat, but Bell still has a point to prove. This combined with the best wicket keeper batsman in the business and a lengthy tail should mean England can prosper, particularly in the crucial first innings.
England’s much vaunted bowling, which excelled last year in the UAE will come under heavy pressure on the dead wickets touring sides often face. England’s bowling attack is generally attacking but can struggle to keep it tight and this could seriously hamper chances of success. Only one touring side has won a test in India whilst conceding runs at more than a rate of 3 an over in the last ten years, clearly emphasising the need to keep it tight at all times and wait for a breakthrough. England must find a way to temper over reliance on Swann, a key reason for the annihilation suffered at the hands of South Africa this summer. For this to happen, the new ball will be key in opening up India’s middle order early and testing their application.
As for India, the batting order appears strong with Tendulkar, Sehwag, Gambhir and Dhoni still present. However, the recent performances of the older guard have not been good enough and it has been done to some of the younger guns, namely Kohli and Pujara to bale the Indians out, with much success in the recent New Zealand tour. The bowling is centred on the new breed of spinners, cutting their teeth in the IPL. This ability to perform at the top level shouldn’t be sneered at, as recent performances by Ojha and Ashwin have shown. Despite this, the lack of a genuine mystery spinner will be a huge relief to England, as will a general lack of new ball penetration.
Questions have been asked regarding how committed to test cricket the new breed of Indian cricketer is, as the money lies in the IPL and twenty20 tournaments around the world. For me, this question still needs to be answered as an alarming drop in test match wins since the introduction of the IPL would appear to demonstrate. It is very notable that this test series (a whole four matches!) is longer than India generally play. India have only played in two series longer than three matches in six years. In these two series they’ve played 8 matches and lost them all. In the same time span England have played 9 such series, winning the last five and this is a statistic that will give Andy Flower much confidence.
Despite this, it will still be an uphill task for England. It is well known that India haven’t lost a home test series since arguably the greatest team of all time (the Australians in 2004) won 2-1. Crucial to overcoming the clear home advantages of foreign conditions on and off the pitch, and the searing heat, will be how well England gel as a unit. The recent ridiculous text-gate scandal and Pietersen’s fall from grace have highlighted fault lines in the dressing room, which have been put down to an overly powerful clique developing (if you believe Piers Morgan) or that certain ego’s got too much for the team environment (if you believe pretty much everybody else). It will be crucial that Cook is able to manage this, and form a stable relationship with players and staff if his first series as captain is to be a success.
Ultimately I believe that despite having an arguably superior side on paper, England will once again struggle in the sub-continent. If the team manages to match the efforts of 2006 and secure a draw it will go down as a terrific result, and one which will not only restore some pride into the England dressing room, but also restore England to the status of the best side in the world. The cricket promises to be fascinating. Test matches in India rarely develop quickly but this build up can make them all the more exciting. The first test at Ahmedabad will certainly set the tone, and will probably be the hardest of the four venues for England to win in. Go behind early and England are in trouble, as the harshness of the conditions hits home. If England get off to a good start, the Indian public will create pressure on the Indians, and recently the Indian side has struggled in stressful conditions. By Christmas the England side will return from India with a four test series under their belt. Will Cook and Pietersen return as heroes or villains? Your guess is as good as mine but it should be entertaining from the first ball to the last.