Eight international outings in England so far but India are yet to register a win; in fact there is a real danger that MS Dhoni and his men may have to leave the English shores without anything to show in the results column. Not just the ruthless opponents, India have had to battle lot of hardships- injuries to key players at the start and now weather. Whenever they even remotely seem to have taken control, weather has intervened, case in point being the first and third match of the ODI series.
Having said that, India as the number one team in 50-over format and reigning World champions should have showed lot more character. Actually, the team has done well only in patches, at key moments they have faltered. Take the case of batting, openers Parthiv Patel and Ajinkye Rahane did well at the start of the five-match series but their failure at Oval got India under pressure early on. Even though, Dhoni and Ravindu Jadeja did well to take the team to a respectable score but the target was never beyond the strong English batting line-up.
Contrary to this, England exude the aura and flair of a true champion side. As often happens with a team in ascendancy, all their moves have paid off- Alistair Cook blasting a match winning knock in 23 over-a-side game, Bopara and Bresnan taking them home in the last match, the examples are numerous. At present, there seems to be a batsman in every bowler and a bowler in every English batsman. The depth in their ranks can be gauged form the fact that two of their most potent One-day players, Kevin Pietersen and Eoin Morgan aren’t playing but the side looks unbeatable with each game.
The mental aspect of their game has helped them to rattle India. Even in adverse situations, the hosts have the confidence to come out on the winnings side. On the field, England just doesn’t desire victory, but go right after it. With that form and attitude of their opponents, India would do well to scrap a win.
To sum it up for India, nothing has worked, be it the team combination be it the on-field tactics. The team looks tired and jaded, not just physically but mentally as well. Most players on the touring party would want this nightmare to get over sooner than later. With England already 2-0 up in what is effectively a four-match series now, the chances of bringing home some silverware are miniscule. Nevertheless, the fans wish that the ‘Men in Blue’ at least get off the blocks.
Squads
England: Alastair Cook (capt), James Anderson, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Jade Dernbach, Steven Finn, Craig Kieswetter (wk), Samit Patel, Ben Stokes, Graeme Swann, Jonathan Trott
India: MS Dhoni (capt & wk), Ravindu Jadeja, Ajinkye Rahane, Rahul Dravid, Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli, Parthiv Patel (wk), Amit Mishra, R Ashwin, Varun Aaron, Praveen Kumar, Munaf Patel, Vinay Kumar, Manoj Tiwary, S Badrinath.
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