India vs England: Roles Have Reversed, We Can Bounce Out Teams Too, Says Sourav Ganguly
Ishant Sharma's hostile spell in the post-lunch session on Day 5 of the Lord's Test consigned England to a 95-run defeat. This was India's first overseas Test win since 2011 and Sourav Ganguly saluted MS Dhoni's young Turks.
The emphatic 95-run win at Lord's not only fetched India their first overseas victory since 2011, but it instilled in a young team the confidence to play on fast and bouncy wickets. Before the Lord's Test, when skipper MS Dhoni said his boys were ready to face English conditions, he surely knew what he was saying. Unlike T20 and ODIs, Test cricket is a work in progress. The Lord's win is a result of a process that began in South Africa in winter of 2013, traversed to New Zealand and then returned to the home of cricket. A victory at Lord's, 28 years after it was last achieved, is always special. It's like winning a Grand Slam at Wimbledon. (Ishant Sharma's career-best haul wrecks England | Highlights)
The third Test begins at Southampton on July 27 (Sunday). What wicket will England prepare? Nottingham produced a tame draw on a slow and low track, dubbed poor by the ICC. England found 'home' conditions at Lord's but India stole their thunder. The hosts will still believe in green tops, but former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly feels, it can back fire. (MS Dhoni hails Ishant's heroic spell)
"The role have reversed. This is not India 15 years ago. The Lord's win has proved that we can bounce out teams, too," Ganguly said on STAR Sports. "The team showed promise in South Africa and New Zealand. The boys have shown great character after losing the toss. (Ajinkya) Rahane was outstanding and Ishant was superb in the post-lunch session," said Ganguly. (Cook struggles to accept Lord's defeat)
India's gutsy performance will stand them in good stead. "This win will help India for the rest of the series," said Ganguly, hinting that England will no longer take Dhoni's team lightly. "Both the teams are young, but India played amazingly well after losing the toss in conditions that suited England," said the former skipper, who has scored a century at Lord's.
Former skipper Kapil Dev, a member of the winning team at Lord's in 1986, said Ishant Sharma's career-best figures (7/74) was a "fantastic" performance. "At one point I thought he was overdoing the short ball, but if he is getting the rewards and the captain is happy, why should anyone complain?" said Kapil. AT one stage, Ishant took five wickets off 33 balls as England collapsed to a barrage of short-pitched deliveries.
Kapil praised the entire bowling unit and said if Mohammed Shami came to the party, the Indian attack will look far more competent. Rahul Dravid felt Ishant have proved to be India's lead bowler with this match-winning show. "He has used the space left by Zaheer (Khan) very well," Dravid said.