No dearth of talent, but India has to step up as a team

Although the signs are worrisome, it’s still too early to freak out after India’s second consecutive defeat in the series against England. So, please – resist the urge to scream “aaaaugggh!” like six-year-old Calvin in those Bill Watterson comic strips. To all you doubters, I offer a sprig of cautious optimism; the interval between Tests could help turn things around. It is a measure of the quality of this Indian team that we are horrified by this listless performance on an overseas tour. A gasp and a hiccup should suffice as notice of our shock. It’s funny though: the anticipated resurgence had got under way as scheduled on the first day when the Indians reduced England to 120-odd for eight, and journalists and fans were starting to feel smug; the way we sometimes do when events bear out our predictions. During those rare moments when you come out looking like an expert, you learn to project the appropriate degree of self-righteousness (“I told you so”) mixed with fake humility (“Oh, one picks up the odd thing when one has watched Test match after Test match live”). We were certainly feeling very secure about India’s chances. With sane-Sreesanth triumphing over his batshit crazy alter-ego in the first couple of sessions, it seemed as though the fellows weren’t going to miss Zaheer Khan’s inspirational presence after all. Nothing is certain in sport, of course – this isn’t a science unlike weather forecasting – but for a substantial period of play, it was looking as though India was going to take a sledgehammer to the England machine. Then, the pace at which India was making inroads began to retard like a Navjot Sidhu aphorism. Stuart Broad, who had been perceived as a weak link at the start of this series, chose a perfect moment to reaffirm the hypothesis (originally proposed during the Lord’s Test) that his backers were a bunch of geniuses. Still, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Yuvraj Singh combined to ensure at least a small lead; on that pitch, even a lead of 100 was expected to pull its weight and when Alastair Cook went early as he has all fortnight, it seemed India had the upper hand. What followed was a procession of English men answering the call of duty. To score 400 runs in a day is extraordinary by any standard – even when it’s against an increasingly dispirited bowling attack possessing little variation – but when you factor the pressure and the expectations, this seems unreal. [caption id=“attachment_53473” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Dhoni’s captaincy has been shoddy of late, or perhaps his luck is petering out. It is growing harder to justify his place in the Test team. Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images”]  [/caption] Ten years after the preposterous innings Laxman and Dravid managed to play against Australia – and less than a year after the miracle that Laxman and Ishant Sharma pulled off against that same opposition – it felt as if karma was at long last returning to bite them in the ass. India lost this match over the course of three soul-crushing sessions. Where it should have squeezed the opponent, it merely tickled. Three wickets were taken with the new ball, but India was only able to rebound in fits and spurts. As has been the case all year, it struggled to burst through and assert its dominance. Especially frustrating is the knowledge that the side isn’t playing to its potential. Part of the blame for the poor start to the England series must be apportioned to poor management of resources: many of the players were either undercooked or overdone. Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir are very good players, but coming back from their layoff, it will be difficult for them to do significantly better than Abhinav Mukund. Mukund has had some success at the domestic level and there was some justification for fast-tracking his case, but at this stage, he is still immature, as evidenced by his near-golden pair. While this experience will hold him in good stead, he has a great deal to learn. For MS Dhoni, the view is, all of a sudden, desolate indeed. As he doubtless knows, it’s all very well to receive commendations for sportsmanship, but they only burnish your reputation when you’re winning. This nation is notorious for taking losses badly. After the tremendous highs Dhoni has experienced during these past few years, it would seem things are slowly starting to unravel. His captaincy has been shoddy of late, or perhaps his luck is petering out. It is growing harder to justify his place in the Test team. He is a proven leader in the shorter formats and his results as captain in Tests are impressive; nevertheless it is hard to ignore the cracks. Over the past year, his batting has imploded – and with it, his confidence behind the stumps. Now, Matt Prior is making him look worse. His critics grumble that he might as well play like the buccaneer of old, if he is going to get out defending. They may even have a point. Continues on the next page On the other hand, all of this may well be a case of teething trouble. Duncan Fletcher’s doctrine might be more concerned with long-term results. At a time like this, the implementation of a rotation policy and then losing several players to injury doesn’t aid team balance. Having to bat in unfamiliar positions with unfamiliar partners can be a little disorienting, leaving batsmen vulnerable to lapses in concentration. A couple of good knocks and the team – and Dhoni himself – could be back on track. Let’s, however, be clear on this point: the batting has in recent times lived off the fat of its reputation. This is a team of one-man superstars, each wholly capable of making a double hundred when others fail. It has been a while though since the batting order came together to launch a concerted assault. This culture of overvaluing and romanticising lone heroes needs to change, and it needs to change urgently. The team had better step up. Tendulkar will hopefully regain touch now. So far, he has failed spectacularly to complete his century of 100s; he’s delayed taking centrestage with all the gracelessness of an ageing diva. Laxman might want to employ some Vaseline for real, and slip past 60 sometime soon. Meanwhile, three times in five matches, a Dravid century at the head of the order has been met with guarantees of a collapse. It seems the more he scores, the less India is going to get. What kind of perverse variation is this on the law of diminishing returns? [caption id=“attachment_53506” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Tendulkar will hopefully regain touch now. So far, he has failed spectacularly to complete his century of 100s; he’s delayed taking centrestage with all the gracelessness of an ageing diva. Gareth Copley/Getty Images”]  [/caption] It isn’t as if the bowling has looked much better, even if it has occasionally surpassed our paltry expectations. As many have pointed out over the past few days, it lacks consistency. Harbhajan is the one most likely to have his reputation and career damaged in the short run. He’s reportedly out of the third Test; but there are greater ramifications. No amount of sucking up to Tendulkar – yes, we noticed – can hide the fact that he has bowled conservatively and without imagination for a few years. The conversion of his batting talent into runs is great since it shores up the weak lower order, but where is the hugely promising spinner of old? Perhaps a slap from Sreesanth might assist in restoring normal service. The impressive thing about England is that it has developed into a team with great all-round talent and depth of resources. This bunch is a far cry from the underachieving squads of the 80s and 90s. However weird this sounds in the context of postcolonial politics, England is the new India. Unless India can arrest its sliding momentum, unless India can reciprocate the favour and mete out a thrashing in the next two matches, England will have usurped the position of cricket’s top-ranked side. Nobody is discounting the possibility of a forceful Indian response over the course of August. This is still a very talented side – all it needs to do is show up for real. Dhoni and his men are capable of achieving many great results in England, Australia and beyond but high hopes must translate into results. With several retirements looming, the poor performances on this tour so far must be seen as symptomatic of more vexatious problems. To put this in perspective, losing the number one ranking is the least of the Indian team’s concerns. It is imperative that we take a telescopic view of things. No pressure; solid performances in the remaining Tests and one-dayers, especially from next-generation leaders such as Gambhir and Suresh Raina, will go some way in reassuring fans – and advertisers – about the potential worth of future teams. Anyone want to let rip an “aaaaugggh!” yet?