England have taken an unbeatable 2-1 lead as we head on to the Kia Oval, in the heart of London, for the last Test match of the Investec series which started so brightly for India, but seems to be on the verge of ending in tears and heartbreak. While even a win here at Kia Oval would hardly considered good enough for the Indians, as that would only mean that the series would be drawn, a defeat here would be disastrous and could well mean the end of a lot of illustrious careers in Indian cricket.
This is because, unlike last time India were in England, in 2011, the Indian team lost to a powerful English side which had great players such as Kevin Pietersen and Graeme Swann playing at the peak of their powers. So, as hurtful that defeat was, it wasn’t completely unexpected. But this defeat, against a down and out English side, with most of their senior players forced out or completely out for form, and a captain on the verge of a nervous breakdown, can only be described as inexplicable. Particularly so after India won the Lord’s Test so convincingly to take a 1-0 lead and were looking so strong and England so brittle.
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But nobody knows what has happened to the Indian side after the Lord’s Test, as they simply seem to have given up on the series, as if winning at Lord’s was the crowning glory of this tour, and whatever happens after that is immaterial. India have played so poorly in the last two Tests at Southampton and Manchester, that it’s not even funny. Had any other team lost so poorly, say Pakistan, then surely there would be a debate about the possibility of match fixing. But the Indians are so well paid – they are the richest cricketers in the world by far – that such a thing is simply impossible. One can only blame their lack of ability in overseas conditions and a complete failure to get going when the going gets tough. The “Young Millionaires”, as Times of India calls them, are finding cricket a really tough sport to play. What wouldn’t they give for another IPL season right now?
Ishant Sharma, the hero of the Lord’s Test, who is the only Indian player to have been left untainted by the defeats, will be back in all probability for the Kia Oval Test. He has recovered from his leg injury and was seen getting a long bowl in the nets. He will be joining Varun Aaron and Bhuvneshwar Kumar in what would be India’s best possible pace combination. Ashwin is certain to retain his spot and bat a little higher at No. 7 after his brilliant batting at Old Trafford, where he was easily India’s best batsman. The fifth bowler/ all rounder spot will be decided between Ravindra Jadeja and Stuart Binny. Neither are great options to have as Binny has hardly looked Test class in his matches so far and Jadeja’s batting has always been a hit or a miss, more misses than hits.
Gambhir has not really looked comfortable out there in the middle, but he is certain to play ahead of Shikhar Dhawan – again, not a great option to have. The rest of the team picks itself.
Virat Kohli will have one last chance to salvage a completely destroyed reputation and Cheteshwar Pujara, of whom so much was expected, must get a big hundred in this Test if he is to be taken seriously as a replacement for Rahul “The Wall” Dravid. Kohi and Pujara are the engines that drive Indian batting, and it’s high time for the engines to start roaring again.
England have no problems whatsoever and are in a very happy position. One can almost sense the relief in English players, especially in captain Alastair Cook, and even disbelief at how completely they have changed things around in just two weeks. It now seems ages ago when the entire English press and a lot of famous ex-players, Kevin Pietersen included, were gunning for Alastair Cook. But Cook held on, showed great courage at Southampton, led his side from the front as a batman, and his captaincy at Old Trafford was impeccable and even inspirational – qualities you don’t normally associate with the young Indian captain.
Just before the start of the Investec series, MS Dhoni, the Indian captain, was asked for a bit of (condescending) advice and words of encouragement for his beleaguered English counterpart, now the shoe seems to be firmly on the other foot. Today, Cook’s position is perfectly safe, while Dhoni would consider himself extremely lucky if his extraordinary career as both a player and a captain survives yet another loss in the Investec series.
