Overcoming setback of Test series will be difficult but new format, coaching staff and players give India some hope
From fantastic, it got frustrating. The performance graph, that seemed headed for the peak after the victory at the lord’s in the second Test, nosedived in the subsequent matches and hit rock bottom at The Oval (fifth and last Test) when the team got out for 94 runs in just 29.2 overs.
More than the loss itself, it was the manner of the defeat that hurt. The unwillingness to fight in the last three Tests - The Rose Bowl, Old Trafford and The Oval - shocked everyone, including the opposition. The attitude of surrender at the faintest hint of crisis is frightening for Indian cricket.
A similarly disappointing result had come in 2011 as well when the Indian team, studded with the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS laxman, lost all the four matches to the same opposition. This time, though, the end result - 1 win, 3 losses - looks better, at least on paper. But the fact that it is a young team unlike 2011 when the batting mainstays were in the twilight of their careers, India’s future looks uncertain as far as Test cricket is concerned.
However, all is not lost. The five-match ODI series starting Monday provides the ‘glam boys’, as newly appointed team director Ravi Shastri referred to Virat Kohli & Co in a newspaper article, an opportunity to salvage some pride.
Frustrated by the regular beatings, the BCCI has also made some changes in the coaching staff. Coach Duncan Fletcher’s wings have been clipped and his assistants - fielding coach Trevor Penney and bowling coach Joe Dawes - have been sent on leave and rightly so. They have had too long a rope despite crushing losses in England, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand.
Now there are more Indian faces in the support staff with Shastri becoming the overall in-charge and former India players Sanjay Bangar and Bharat Arun taking up as assistant coaches. Former Hyderabad player R Sridhar would the new fielding coach.
India, as is the perception, play better in shorter format of the game but overcoming the disappointment of the Test debacle in such a short period will be a challenge for the players and for the new staff as well. In 2011 they couldn’t rise above the 4-0 thrashing in the Test series and lost the five-match ODI series 3-0 (one ended in a tie and one got washed out). But they did play better and put up a fight.
The major cause of India’s recent capitulation, according to many experts, was more psychological than technical. And according to the BCCI, Shastri, a full time commentator, has it in him to lift the morale of the squad. He has been the go-to man for the BCCI whenever there is a crisis. He had played a similar role after Greg Chappell left and took the team to Bangladesh.
As far as the appointment of Bharat Arun is concerned, it is a good choice considering his coaching experience at the NCA but by choosing Bangar as the assistant coach, the BCCI has played a gamble. To his credit, Bangar did a good job in his first assignment with Kings XI Punjab - the IPl 2014 finalists.
It is not clear whether these changes are for long term or just for this series. If they are in for a longer run, there is just enough time for the new staff and players to develop an understanding and put the team back on winning track before India start their World Cup defence in six months time. And England is a good place to start with.
Interestingly, India’s last major ODI series win came on these shores when they lifted Champions Trophy at Edgbaston, Birmingham, in June last year. Things, however, didn’t go well after that. They lost two away series quite comprehensively in South Africa and New Zealand. In the more favourable conditions in Bangladesh, they also lost the Asia Cup to Pakistan.
So, in the last one year, India have lost more than they have won and their reputation of being one of the best limited-overs sides has taken a severe beating. And, going by the recent form of their key players, especially Kohli, the team doesn’t evoke much confidence.
But sport is all about overcoming odds. With the entry of new players, who have no mental scars of the Test series, the MS Dhoni-led side can hope of a resurrection in the ODI series.
This series is important for it will give Indian team management a fair idea about their strengths, weaknesses and the men. There are doubts over Rohit Sharma’s viablity as an opener and Suresh Raina’s ability as a middle-order batsman. Both of them are valuable assets in home conditions but on tough pitches outside Asia, they become a liabilty.
The bowling is also a concern. While the spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have been the constants for sometime now — as much because of their batting abilities as their bowling — Dhoni hasn’t been able to decide on the three pacers.
India are going through uncertain times. But, starting with England series, there is still enough time for India to start the correction process and set it in a manner that the team hit the peak exactly during the World Cup. After all, it’s all about peaking at the right time.