India vs England: The Five Talking Points of Team Dhoni's Horror Show
India can only hope to level the five-Test series against England now. Down 2-1 after back-to-defeats at Southampton and Manchester, Team Dhoni has flattered to deceive after a momentous win at Lord's.
After their sensational win at Lord's, humiliating defeats at Southampton and Manchester have exposed several weaknesses in Team India's armoury. Sunil Gavaskar called Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men a "team in transition" and said patience was key. England, too, are rebuilding their team. At the end of the day, on a level playing field, India's poor cricket have hurt them. Ahead of the fifth and final Test at the Oval from August 15, the following have been the 'highs' of the Indian horror show so far. (Complete coverage of England vs India)
© Reuters
Openers' Continued Failure: While Murali Vijay has had a fine run (barring the Manchester Test), he has struggled to get an opening partnership going. Shikhar Dhawan was found out against genuine short-pitched bowling on fast tracks and was dropped to make way for Gautam Gambhir in the fourth Test at Old Trafford. However, that made no difference to India's fortunes. (Also read: MS Dhoni three defeats away from worst captaincy record)
The last 50-run stand by the opening wicket overseas for India still continues to be between Gambhir and Abhinav Mukund in 2011. With the middle-order completely out of shape, Dhoni would have hoped for a strong start at the top. The inability to handle James Anderson and Stuart Broad upfront exposed the middle-order too early. The result has been disastrous as Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara have just not got going in the series.
Tactics Gone Wrong Against Moeen Ali: A part-timer seems to broken a myth that Indian batsmen are the best against spin bowling. India's repeated inability to read Moeen Ali, a rookie off-spinner by Test standards, has been just baffling. Sachin Tendulkar's mastery over Shane Warne and Rahul Dravid's footwork against Muralitharan are part of cricket folklore. But an English spinner making India's top batsmen dance to his tune in conditions suited for pacers has been the ultimate disgrace. Ali's domination over Indian batsmen has been the highlight of the series so far.
Kohli and Pujara's flop show: India's domination in Tests at home and impressive performances overseas (South Africa and New Zealand), were scripted around a continuous stream of runs from Pujara and Kohli. Two of the most talented young batsmen in the world today, with distinct styles and the hunger for runs, were rock solid in the middle-order. However, England 2014 has been a different story. While Kohli has managed a mere 107 runs from eight innings, Pujara has a grand total of 207, with a best of 55 (at Trent Bridge).
© AFP
Both men have been made to look ordinary by England's bowlers, who have done their homework. Kohli has been vulnerable around the off-stump and to off-spinners. Both weaknesses have been exploited to the hilt. Pujara's problems have been far more complex but his frailties against the rising ball have been a cause for concern. Dhoni admitted there can be no wholesale changes in the middle of a tightly-scheduled series, but then India's numbers three and four will have to figure out a way to score big at The Oval. If they don't, England can safely assume that the series is theirs.
Trapped in a web of spin: Even as Moeen continued to rip through the Indian batting line-up, Dhoni persisted with Ravindra Jadeja, ahead of specialist off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. Jadeja, unlike Ali, was unable to get much purchase from the wickets, and like Ali, did not do much with the bat (except the blistering fifty in the second innings at Lord's). Ashwin finally got his chance at Old Trafford, but to not consider a man with 104 wickets from 19 Tests was puzzling. Ashwin missed out on the chance to bowl at the Ageas Bowl, where Ali made merry with six second innings wickets. India have clearly missed a trick by not including their top spinner ahead of Jadeja. For the record, Ashwin (average: 41.61) has better batting numbers than Jadeja (average: 21.41).
Coach Duncan Fletcher, a mute spectator: Duncan Fletcher has drawn the ire of former Indian cricketer Farokh Engineer, who had this to say: "Fletcher is very, very highly paid, surely he can read the pitch and advise Dhoni accordingly?". That about sums up the coach's role or the lack of it this series. Fletcher was immensely successful in charge of England, but in two successive tours to that country, the clear absence of tactics and back-up plans have annoyed experts and observers. Fletcher had been hailed by former England skipper Nasser Hussain, but the stupendous failures with India leave question marks. A coach at the international level has to manage different egos and strategise for various eventualities, but the Zimbabwean has been unable to do either. If India lose this series, even Fletcher's most ardent supporters would have lost patience.