Will we see a fight this time?

It’s a pleasant adjustment this. Almost like getting back to your comfort zone. No more Yes Bank maximums, no more (well, fewer) darted in straight balls by spinners, no more “Dude, that match was fixed” speculations, no more Sidhuisms, no more Cheerleaders in the pre-match show studios; the list goes on. Having said that, I must confess that this has been the most astonishing and competitive IPL I’ve seen so far. Have never seen teams fighting the battle of net run rates such valiantly before. Never thought a talent like Manan Vohra could pull fast bowlers for sixes over long on, never anticipated the Akshar Patels and the Aditya Tares to become stars overnight. Ah, and Pravin Tambe wouldn’t have happened without the IPL too. 42-yrs of age, seasons spent playing competitive club Cricket in Mumbai, one of those who probably got overlooked because of the dirty politics that exists; gets picked by the Rajasthan Royals and the rest is history.

I’ve profoundly hated the IPL since its very beginning. This season probably made me realize how naïve I had been. Among all other things, I feel like I’ve found the beauty of the IPL, which is probably one of its kind. It unearths some of the most hungry-for-opportunity and overlooked talents this Cricket crazy country is blessed with. With talents like these in store, you dream and hope for India to be a world leader in Cricket. It is one of those feel good factors which almost makes you forget the dismal overseas record India has had in recent times. However, with the all-important England tour coming up, there is a considerable chance of the scabs getting peeled off.

In the little Cricket that I’ve seen, I’ve always loved it when India tours England. There’s a different aura that surrounds these tours. There’s always that odd remembrance to Lagaan and The Indian Freedom Struggle when these two countries clash. England also puts up challenging pitches to its visiting teams, just making the Cricket a little bit more exciting. And, the English media is probably the most biased one you’ll ever find. There’s always a little controversial statement or a tweet here and there by the ex or the current English cricketers ridiculing the opposition. You can never love the British, especially if you’re Indian. And as a fellow Indian who just wants the best players in the country to be selected to go on that tour, the selection that has been done appears a bit iffy. It is a matter of shame when we need as many as 18 members to be on that plane to England. It is also a matter of shame when players are picked just to be on the fringe. I will be surprised if Ishwar Pandey gets a game, same with Aaron. They’re neither in exceptional form, nor do they have ample experience to be picked on reputation. It is like one of those messed up *PS allotments, in which you are alloted a dream company but you aren’t going to get a meaningful project.

I was overjoyed when I saw Gambhir making it back to the Test squad. I strongly felt that he deserved it. He had a good Ranji season, scored runs in the IPL, and looked hungry to make a point. I also believed Zaheer’s exclusion was a must. I have enormous respect for the bowler, who has arguably been India’s best fast bowler ever. But, there are serious doubts as far as his fitness is concerned. With the growing age and injuries, the pace has dropped. So has the ability to bowl effective long spells. The ordinary fielding doesn’t help either. Pankaj Singh on the other hand, seems a reasonable inclusion. He has been among the top wicket takers in Ranji Trophy Cricket for 5 years in a row now. He certainly deserved a national call-up, particularly when we were touring England. This should be a great learning curve for him. Stuart Binny, someone who can bat and bowl decent medium pace, appears as a good selection too. He is probably a back-up for Jadeja or in case our bowling fails and we are forced to go in with another fast bowler without reducing the batting strength to a greater extent.

What I was surprised and disappointed with, was not seeing Umesh Yadav being in that squad. In fact, I’ve been upset about him not making India’s playing XI for quite some time now. He last played a Test match for India in November 2012 against the same opponents, England, in Ahmedabad. After which, he had a back injury. He made a good enough comeback during the ODIs in the Champions Trophy where the pace was there, the ball swung and he also picked wickets. He was in the Test squad in that home series against West Indies and also in the series vs SA and NZ in the respective countries; but didn’t get a single game to play. One could argue that there was no vacancy as Zaheer, Ishant and Shami were doing well. But, now that Zaheer is dropped and the kind of form Yadav is in, you would expect him to make the playing XI. But, the unthinkable happens and they drop him from the squad and that too for a tour to the most fast-bowler friendly nation in the world. He certainly deserved a place in the squad ahead of Varun Aaron or Ishwar Pandey. Aaron and Pandey both had an ordinary domestic season, and history has proven that selecting players for Test Cricket on the basis of IPL performances is a terribly wrong policy.

The other aspect of this selection to the England tour which appears as a gamble and I’m afraid not a measured one, is the inclusion of just the two spinners in the 18-man squad. We all know England doesn’t produce square turners and if you had to pick just the two spinners, you might as well have picked two of the best spinners this country has. Ashwin and Jadeja, in my opinion aren’t the best we have as far as bowling on non-responsive pitches in Test Cricket is concerned. Past records of the duo support my claim. I believe the inclusion of Amit Mishra was a necessity. He is in decent form, high on confidence after the inspired performances in the Asia Cup and the World T20. Apart from that, England historically haven’t been great players of quality leg spin bowling and the variations that Amit Mishra brings to the table are no ordinary ones. I have serious doubts whether Ashwin will find his feet on English turf, and a backup in the form of Amit Mishra just had to be there. Mishra, being a wrist spinner, should probably extract turn irrespective of how the pitch is. Ashwin has had a very ordinary record outside the subcontinent in Test Cricket, we can only hope that he turns the tables around this time.

The batting looks strong except the uncertainty at the top. I’m inclined to play Gambhir and Dhawan, but Vijay hasn’t been out of form. I guess, the two batsmen out of the three who’ll make runs in the practice matches will have to be the final openers. The middle order looks formidable with Pujara, Kohli and Rahane, all capable of scoring runs abroad. I am concerned with MS Dhoni’s Test form, especially when the ball does a bit in the air. Remember, Dhoni hasn’t scored a single Test century outside the subcontinent yet. Add to that the pressure of consistently failing as a captain overseas. This is one role where Dhoni’s ‘gambles’ haven’t worked. Dhoni has a serious point to prove as a captain here. I’ll be surprised if he continues as the Test captain if we lose this one. Various decisions made by him regarding field placing, team selection, bowler selections have gone wrong in the past when we’ve toured abroad. I believe MSD is much comfortable in operating his spinners which he does really well in the subcontinent and in limited overs Cricket. He needs to believe in his fast bowlers a little more, give them fielders at catching positions. Doesn’t matter if they get hit for a boundary or two. Here’s his one chance to prove himself.

This being a 5 match series is going to be a real test of character for the players. It’s going to create some absolute heroes and well, expose some lethal weaknesses. I want this to be a competitive one, unlike the one that happened in 2011. Indians have historically been poor visitors, if you leave out the Ganguly and the Kumble era. Every time we’ve been at the top of the ICC Test rankings, it has always been because we are clinical at home. It has always been a matter of shame for the fans, and unlike the odd ODI defeat here and there which gets forgotten, these defeats are hard to forget. All I’m asking for is a fight. We didn’t see one in 2011, I hope we do this time.

*PS = Internship. A BITS reference.