England in India Series, 2012 Specials

I urge the readers not to curl their lips, for I say this because Dhoni went in with three spinners on a turner based on the past. He had seen batsmen like Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly, who were extremely adept against spin. The victories on home turf were achieved due to their skills, to not only survive but also dominate even on rank turners.

Virender Sehwag has rewritten the art of opening the batting in Test cricket with his own unique brand of nonchalant aggression that has forced the best in the business to tear their hair out in frustration.

As a cricket lover, I've had many 'I was there' moments – the kind you want to live to tell your grandchildren about. I was there when India won at Perth in 2008 to become the only team from the subcontinent to defeat Australia at the WACA. I was there when thousands of Australians leapt to their feet to give Tendulkar a standing ovation at the SCG as he got to a 100 in a Test that was to be marred later by Monkeygate.

Apart from the odd press conference before or after a game, one is yet to hear anything of any real substance from Duncan Fletcher on the disasters that were tours of England and Australia, losing Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, his plans. If any.

Former Indian cricketer WV Raman looks at the squad picked for the first two Tests against England.

Gautam Gambhir's recent remark "We still average 53 as an opening pair, which I think is one of the best when it comes to opening the batting in world cricket," is not far from truth.