It has been a lamentable performance. “The most powerful cricketing nation,” observed the Daily Mail, “have been an embarrassment.”
England has rarely seen such good form in Test cricket, and the Indians have demonstrated the jitters of a touring side that look all too familiar.
After the defeat at Trent Bridge, the Times of India was baying for the blood of their national side.
“Thousands of those who saw India’s craven surrender at Trent Bridge on Monday will find it hard to believe that this is really the world’s number one Test team. In dealing with their status as the premier test cricketing nation, the Indians showed a ‘total lack of preparation, physically and mentally, and without the requisite hunger to remain No. 1.”
The Times of India had various pertinent remarks to made, however scathing. The observation on hunger has been an ongoing problem in Indian cricket.
Not all Indian Test players have dealt with their game with the fanatical dedication of a Ravi Shastri, let alone Sunil Gavaskar.
The excuse of injury (noted casualties including Gautam Gambhir, Zaheer Khan and Virender Sehwag) was insufficient – in the past, Clive Lloyd’s West Indies and Steve Waugh’s Australian side braved injury storms with determination and aplomb. Success is impervious to physical vulnerabilities.
Former West Indian quick Michael Holding is decidedly cynical about the injury roll, and looks with suspicion at the IPL. “Why does anyone not get injured before the IPL, you tell me,” he posed.
“That’s because they are getting huge amounts of money [in IPL]. Why would they bother about international commitments?” (Telegraph, Aug 14). Cash before country may well be the IPL mantra.
The third Test defeat at Edgbaston, and the capitulation of the Indian side to second ranked status, took place in crushing circumstances. With such inexplicable drops as those by Sreesanth and Dravid from chances offered by Eoin Morgan, it was hardly surprising.
Gambhir simply had to concede that his side had not played ‘smart cricket’ (TruthDive, Aug 13).
The innings defeat by 242 runs is India’s second biggest loss against England in Tests (the first remains Lord’s 1974), and their third highest in Tests. The Strauss-Flower combination has worked wonders, and the dark days of 1999, when England was ranked as the worst of Test cricketing sides, seem distant.
In more recent times, the thumping received at the hands of the West Indies in January 2009, when England were dismissed for a paltry 51, proved something of a catharsis.
India, on the other hand, seem to have much to worry about. After the capitulation at Edgbaston, India’s coach Duncan Fletcher adopted a forensic disposition. “I am trying to settle in and see characters as individuals. I am especially looking at the young guys and trying to assess if they have character to handle Test cricket” (Telegraph, Aug 14).
There may come a point when parallel Test, one-day and T20 teams may have to be selected, each side showing various types of resilience depending on the sort of game being played.
To put it quite simply, too much cricket is being played. Kris Srikkanth, the Indian chairman of selectors, put it dramatically, though not inaccurately. “All countries are playing cricket 365 days a year. It is not the Indians only.”
That’s to the good, but hardly a solution, given that cricketing sides are now playing the game of endurance over all forms of cricket. Exhaustion is bound to set in. In Gambhir’s words, “We do with whatever is left in our tanks.”
There is much assessing to be done, with the failings of such players as Suresh Raina and the frailty of Yuvraj Singh against the quick ball all too apparent. Then, there is the post-Tendulkar and Dravid era, which promises more gloom.
“You cannot go on with 35- or 38-year-olds till eternity,” former Indian batsman Arun Lal explained. With all that said, Lal could still put an optimistic turn on events. “The series loss and world No. 1 Test ranking slipping away is in a way good. We need an awakening.” But what a rude one it was.
Binoy Kampmark was a Commonwealth Scholar at Selwyn College, Cambridge. He lectures at RMIT University, Melbourne. Email: bkampmark@gmail.com.
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