In the current era of sport, we expect China to dominate gymnastics, Jamaica to win on the track, America to out-swim the competition and India to spin its way to comprehensive victories in Test matches on home soil.
But this conventional wisdom has been contradicted by a determined English cricket side, which has overcome the odds and given the Indians a taste of their own medicine – in their very own backyard.
It was 16 months ago that India arrived in England as the number one Test side in the world, after a golden run of 11 series wins under MS Dhoni’s leadership.
Something seems to have gone terribly wrong since then. India has suffered 4-0 thrashings in both England and Australia, and it is now in danger of losing a home series for the first time since that famous 2004 series against Australia.
Since the embarrassing overseas tours last year, the Indian team has developed a reputation for surrendering meekly, but what’s astonishing is the manner in which it has been comprehensively trounced on home soil.
Test matches in India are meant to be tailored to suit the home team’s strength (spin bowling), but England has cracked the code and shown the world how India can be beaten on the subcontinent.
Spin bowling has been India’s most potent weapon for decades, which is why the back-to-back losses have come as a shock.
Aside from the flimsiness in batting and fielding in the current series, it’s the mediocrity in spin bowling which has let the team down miserably.
Harbhajan Singh, Piyush Chawla, Ashwin and Ojha seem to have forgotten the art of spin while their opposite numbers, Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann, have played influential roles in their team’s success.
I also question Duncan Fletcher’s judgement as coach, because during his stint with England, he was never in favour of either Swann or Monty – how wrong he has been proven.
I wonder if that’s a sign for the BCCI. Incidentally, Monty and Swann have robust averages of 23.43 and 24.64 in the current series.
India has a proud history of unleashing a flurry of top spinners, starting with Bishan Bedi, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar, Prasanna, Venkatraghavan, Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh – the latter of whom is currently suffering from a lack of confidence.
I don’t understand why the young Indian spinners do not make an effort to discuss bowling with former greats like Bedi or Kumble, who are readily available.
Many visiting spinners have paid them rich tributes for helping them out with the finer nuances of spin.
Indian cricket has been in the doldrums for quite some time now. With the retirements of Dravid and Laxman, extensive focus on MS Dhoni’s captaincy and Tendulkar’s future, the management seems to have no backup plan to improve Indian cricket.
Worst of all, nobody seems to be asking how India’s great tradition of spin bowling can be conserved.
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While a premature retirement isn’t the solution, he or England want, he may be forced into it if he can’t maintain a long run of matches.
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