da esport bet： As the Indian team takes off for England to play first a triseries and then stay on for four Test matches, it must be saidthat on both past record and present form, the odds are stackedagainst them
Partab Ramchand18-Jun-2002As the Indian team takes off for England to play first a triseries and then stay on for four Test matches, it must be saidthat on both past record and present form, the odds are stackedagainst them.Let’s take the present form factor first. The manner in whichEngland have performed in the three-Test series against Sri Lankamust be rated as commendable. Not only did they win the serieswith more than a degree of comfort, but they also showed thatthey have it in them to repeat the trick against India.In particular, the way in which the batsmen handled MuthiahMuralitharan, who it must be remembered turned the batting insideout with a haul of 16 wickets at the Oval four years ago, wasexemplary. The fact that in three successive innings, the Englandbatsmen ran up totals of 500 plus – for the first time in the125-year history of Test cricket – should not only boost theirconfidence but also give the Indian bowlers plenty to thinkabout.And then there is the past record to think about. In 41 Tests inEngland, India has won only three and lost 22. Overall, this is apretty woeful record, even after taking into account theimprovement in the last 30 years during which India has won allthe three Tests, besides two series triumphs in 1971 and 1986.Indian players have almost always floundered in England wherewicket and weather conditions have generally proved to be alien.The pitches might not be in the category of Perth or Kingston butthey certainly are faster and bouncier than those in India. Andthen the heavy atmosphere that is conducive to swing and seambowling has created problems galore for the Indians.
© CricInfoThanks to the shining example provided by Sunil Gavaskar, Indianbatsmen over the years have shown improvement in tackling themoving ball while the bowlers, inspired by Kapil Dev, have learntto make optimum use of the helpful conditions. But the factremains that even with such champions, India has generally beenat the receiving end in England. This has been the case even whenthe home side has been anything but formidable.The last tour in 1996 was a case in point. England were goingthrough a lean period and yet India lost the three Test series1-0. It’s the same story in one-day games. England have generallyemerged triumphant and the only saving grace from India’s pointof view was the victory in both the matches played in 1990.The present England squad, while certainly not being fragile, hascertain obvious weaknesses. But given India’s abysmal overseasrecord – more so in England even the most diehard of Indiancricket supporters would not expect their team to win either thetri-series, involving England and Sri Lanka, or the Test series.Yes, there will be a couple of individual feats but one justcan’t see anything beyond that in the crystal ball.The Indian teams selected for the coming tour are probably thestrongest that could have been picked. On the face of it, the twosquads are nicely balanced. There is plenty of batting right downthe order and in the Test side the stonewallers and swashbucklersare in the right proportion.
© CricInfoThe seam bowling is in good hands and in Anil Kumble andHarbhajan Singh the tourists have two of the leading spin bowlersin the game today. The one all-pervading worrying factor,however, is India’s awful overseas record. Indeed, the last timeIndia won a Test series away from the sub-continent was in England in 1986.While the first series triumph in 1971 cannot be matched from thehistoric viewpoint, in my book the victory 15 years later wasprobably a greater achievement. For one thing, the margin wasclear-cut and not narrow as it was in 1971. And secondly, it wasachieved in the first half of the English summer when conditionsare increasingly alien for the tourists.Of course, against this, it must also be added that in 1986,England’s standing in world cricket could not be compared to the1971 squad which was just about the best in the world.This time too the Indians will enjoy the relative comfort oftouring in the second half of the summer. And at the moment,England and India are both almost bunched together in the middlein the Test and one-day ratings. But then these are the onlycrumbs of comfort for the tourists. All things considered,England should start favourites for the Test series.As far as the tri-series is concerned, the bookies will probablygive the shortest odds on an England – Sri Lanka final. It is upto the Indians to make nonsense of such predictions. Will they?