England captain Alastair Cook and team-mates have a group discussion at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, yesterday. England take on hosts India in the third of the four-match Test series in Kolkata starting today. The series is tied 1-1. India won the first match in Ahmedabad and England drew level with a 10-wicket win in Mumbai.
Kolkata: India need to get their act together in the third Test beginning here today to overwhelm a spirited England, who have challenged the hosts’ traditional strengths - spin domination and home series invincibility.
With the four-match series now level 1-1, the game at the iconic Eden Gardens is crucial as the winner would get an unassailable lead in the rubber.
Having never lost a home series in the last eight years since going down to Australia 1-2 in 2004, India seemed on course to retain their reputation when the spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha plotted England’s submission in the opening match at Ahmedabad. It also raised hopes of India avenging the 0-4 drubbing they received in the away series against England last year.
But the 10-wicket humiliation at Wankhede has completely reversed the script.
Not only did the English batsmen, particularly skipper Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen, sort out the Indian spinners, the English slow bowlers Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann showed their superiority.
Swann, arguably the world’s best off-spinner now, and Panesar between themselves skittled 19 Indian wickets, making a mockery of Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s bid to exploit the so-called home advantage on a square turner.
Dhoni, however, defended his standpoint.
“It is not about whether you lose or win a game, it is about playing in conditions according to your strength. That is what home advantage is all about,” he said at the pre-match media meet, days after his demand for another turner triggered a controversy with the Eden curator hitting out at him.
That apart, things definitely are not going well for India’s captain Cool.
Besides the Mumbai loss, India’s pathetic display on foreign soil (losing 0-4 to both England and Australia) since last year, has put his captaincy under the scanner.
Dhoni’s performance with the bat has also not gone unnoticed. And by notching up a paltry 40 in the three innings of the first two Tests, he has only courted more criticism.
Talking about the other Indian batsmen, Sachin Tendulkar, the only surviving player of the golden generation, has looked a mere passenger in the team.
Now in the twilight of his career, the Mumbaikar has spent the last 23 months and 28 innings in the crease without a single three-figure knock in the longest format.
It is time the maestro returns among runs, for otherwise, the already increasing queue of critics asking for his retirement plans is bound to increase. And Aussie great Ricky Ponting’s decision to call time on his career is bound to add to the pressure.
Another worry is Gautam Gambhir, who has not scored a hundred in the last 44 Test innings, though he got a fine 65 in trying circumstances in the second innings of Mumbai Test.
Though Dhoni did not announce the playing XI, there is a strong chance of pacer Ishant Sharma replacing the off-colour Harbhajan Singh, who is also down with flu and skipped practice Yesterday.
Local pacer Ashok Dinda is also in the reckoning.
For England, who last won a series in India 28 years back in 1984, the Mumbai triumph has come as a big boost. Cook and Pietersen have struck form, and would be looking to maintain the momentum at the Eden. Seasoned campaigner Ian Bell - who opted out of the Mumbai match and flew to England for the birth of his child - is also back, and could replace Jonathan Bairstow.
With pacer Stuart Broad going wicketless so far in the series, Cook hinted at playing the fit-from-injury Steve Finn. ians
