Just a couple of seasons ago, everyone was talking about the demise of Test cricket with the emergence of the slam-bang version – Twenty20.
Form is temporary, class is permanent is the oft-repeated quote in cricket and it holds true in this case.
Test cricket may have gone through a lull but in the last few seasons it has been intriguing, competitive and of the highest quality.
And we have yet another exciting series starting this week between two of the best sides of the moment, England and India.
There has been immense hype surrounding this series and quite rightly so, as both teams are in a rich vein of form and here is an opportunity for both sides to prove who the best is in the business.
Any team playing at home holds the advantage and England is expected to make the best use of the home conditions.
Since mid 2009 they have triumphed in seven series and drawn just one – an obvious indication of a settled team high on confidence and a team that does not know how to lose.
In the bowling department a lot will depend on new-ball bowlers Tremlett and Anderson to make the breakthroughs at the top of the order.
Tremlett has been in good form of late and if he can use his towering frame to good effect, he can extract maximum bounce and pace to cause problems for the opposition.
Anderson is a huge threat in these conditions and if he gets his swing going he has the ability to trouble even the best.
It will take some effort to wear him down as he isn’t going to give the batsmen any breathing space. Get ready India to face some chin music!
Graeme Swann is an indisputable wicket-taking bowler and his record is testimony to this. A lot is expected from the spinner to deliver in crunch situations.
England’s batting has never looked more settled with the likes of Strauss, Cook, Trott, Bell and the flamboyant yet enigmatic Pietersen.
Cook, Trott and Bell are three batters who not only have the right temperament to endure marathon innings but have been in phenomenal form in recent times.
Trott’s average is in the 60s after 21 tests and how impressive that is!
The trio is expected to lead the way and thump down a reasonably good Indian attack.
India has been in sparkling form as well and the team is being compared to the all-conquering West Indian team of the 70’s and the invincible Australian team of the 90’s and early 2000’s.
India has not lost a series in the last three years and that in itself is a tremendous achievement.
Zaheer and Ishant are a fine opening bowling combination, both being among the wickets. The conditions should also suit the likes of Praveen Kumar if he makes it to the starting eleven.
There has been a lot of talk regarding the Zaheer versus Strauss contest as the speedster has had the better of the England captain in the past and a lot rests on him to make early inroads.
However, Strauss piled on the runs in the warm-up game against India a few days back and didn’t have any trouble facing Zaheer and he should be brimming with confidence.
However, warm-up matches are meant just for that – warm up and get used to the conditions and in no way does a warm-up match set the tone for a series.
India’s strength has always been its batting and they will miss one of their mainstays, Sehwag, at least for the first two Tests.
This is one area the English would like to exploit. Sehwag’s absence is a killer blow to the team as he is capable of not just destroying the confidence of the opposition but also has the ability to score quickly and make life easier for the batsmen to follow.
Moving on, everyone is aware of the quality Dravid, Tendulkar and Laxman bring to the game, and the trio will be expected to draw on their experience to cope with the pace, bounce and conditions.
Dravid’s record in England is incredible and Laxman is arguably one of the best fourth innings batsmen in the game.
As for the little master, he has looked so relaxed in recent times and should come good.
Dhoni has a big decision to make in regards to Yuvraj and Raina. I hope he goes for the latter as Raina has shown that he does possess the character and resolve to succeed at this level.
Yuvraj may be a brilliant cricketer in the ODI and Twenty20 formats, but he hasn’t quite adapted to Test cricket, which is a whole different ball game.
Dhoni might be a great captain but he needs to make significant contributions with the bat on a regular basis.
An added attraction is the fact that the first Test match of the series marks the 2000th Test in the history of the game and what better place to have it in than the home of cricket – Lords.
It is difficult to predict the winner of this series as both England and India are very much on par with each other in all departments.
It might boil down to which side is mentally stronger at crucial junctures in the game. The time has come to keep the record books away and look forward to an enthralling series between two teams in top form.
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