Keeping oldies out is challenge for youngsters in England ODIs

On the face of it, this India-England series was about revenge. That was supposed to be the theme of the five ODIs. But with India dominating England thoroughly in the first two matches, the agenda has changed. There is another battle shaping up - and it’s the one to watch. The Indian team has a certain hierarchy. There are certain players who could always take their places for granted. Their names were probably the ones the selectors would write down even before they would begin discussions about who to pick or not. And for a long time, Harbhajan Singh was one of those names. So when the squad for the first two ODIs was announced, one of the major ‘surprises’ was that the off-spinner was dropped. Everyone was talking about it, but no one really expected it to happen. Harbhajan responded in his usual manner. He spoke about how he would fight back and return to the squad. And when he led Mumbai Indians to the Champions League T20 victory, the unstated suspicion was that if the spinners in the squad put even one foot wrong, the 31-year-old off-spinner would be back. [caption id=“attachment_111883” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“R Ashwin has been a star for India. AFP”] [/caption] All this meant that Ravichandran Ashwin would have been under tremendous pressure to perform. It was the first time the selectors have clearly picked him to be India’s top spinner ahead of Bhajji and he had to prove himself. The fact that England had trashed India recently only added to the tension. But so far, the Tamil Nadu spinner has been upto the task. He’s taken only four wickets but his average of 22.75 shows that at least for now, he isn’t suffering from the same problems as Harbhajan. The bigger triumph for him is that his variations are working. Dhoni trusts him to do the right thing at difficult times – it’s the kind of trust that Harbhajan inspired once upon a time. Now that Ashwin can command similar trust it should be a matter of great pride. But still the sword of Damocles hangs over his head. Harbhajan is still the highest wicket-taker among current bowlers in world cricket – he won’t go away so easily. Will Ashwin continue to trust himself? Will Dhoni trust him? Will the selectors keep their faith? For now, the five wise men have shown that they are prepared to keep Harbhajan and other seniors on ice. And that’s a good sign not only for Ashwin but for others like Vinay Kumar and Umesh Yadav as well. The performances of Vinay and Umesh are heartening because it perhaps means that India can finally move on from the likes of an underperforming Sreesanth and born again RP Singh. And sadly, even Ashish Nehra – who for no fault of his has been dumped. Vinay has variations and the ability to extract some pretty disconcerting bounce from the wicket. Umesh, on the other hand, is only looking to bowl fast. A delivery from the Vidharbha-based bowler scorched Dhoni’s gloves at 147 kmh. He may have leaked a few runs but the fact that India has a truly fast bowler to unleash is comforting. They are both fit and willing. And for fast bowlers, those qualities mean the world. But it’s not just the bowlers who are doing their bit. Virat Kohli, who struggled in West Indies and England, is finding his verve once again. Ravindra Jadeja is showing that he might be the all-rounder that India have so desperately been seeking since Irfan Pathan gently faded away. In the past, many critics have complained about how the youngsters didn’t have the motivation to perform while playing for India. It was reckoned that success meant getting to the IPL; the India cap was like the cherry on top. The cake itself was IPL. But when you watch these youngsters keep these celebrated seniors out of the squad, you realise that you are watching a generational switch of sorts - which is why England will have no respite. Watch slideshow [fpgallery id=282] The dew is once again expected to play a part but India isn’t in a mood to let-up; they aren’t in the mood to let the seniors back either. And watching a new Indian side take shape is much more fun than just watching India and England battle it out in a one-sided match. It somehow gives the series some context.

Keeping oldies out is challenge for youngsters in England ODIs

Watching a new Indian side take shape is much more fun than just watching India and England battle it out in a one-sided match.

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