India are facing an abyss
While England have been an inspirational team so far, one of the very best that they have fielded for decades, India, at the moment, are a collection of individuals, some of them giants of the game, but lacking the obvious cohesion and sense of
Akhila Ranganna
25-Feb-2013
While England have been an inspirational team so far, one of the very best that they have fielded for decades, India, at the moment, are a collection of individuals, some of them giants of the game, but lacking the obvious cohesion and sense of purpose that their opponents carry with them writes Mike Selvey in the Guardian. And while England have shown their capacity to fight their way out of a corner, India look bereft of that spirit which can overcome adversity.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni is right to point out that many of his team, in effect, are now in the middle of a seven‑Test series being played over a nine‑week period. For that, blame the Indian board which sanctions their contribution to the future tours programme. However, that does not excuse the lackadaisical manner in which they prepared for the first Test, something which allowed England to sprint out of the blocks at Lord's and then stretch the lead in Nottingham.
Virender Sehwag will be looked at to provide an antidote to the cowering pusillanimity of some of India’s batting so far writes Steve James in the Daily Telegraph. But he is likely to have to be very tough over the next few weeks if he is to breathe life into the ailing beast that has become India’s batting.
It is a role Sehwag is rather well placed to fill. He is, of course, one of the finest batsmen of this and any generation, a man who grabbed Test-match opening batsmanship by the scruff of the neck and dragged it into an era forever postmarked Twenty20.
The possible return of Virender Sehwag and Zaheer Khan, who has contributed just 81 balls to the Indian series effort, should lift spirits, writes Dileep Premachandran in the Guardian, but few imagine that they will have the effect of a magic incantation against an English team who appear to have most bases covered.
While India have struggled with injuries, the bottom line is that England have been quite brilliant so far and they deserve great credit for making life look desperately difficult for the visitors, writes David Lloyd in the Independent. But surely there must be more to come from these visitors, he asks.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni, captain of a team now clinging to the title of world's best by their very fingertips, was given every invitation to raise a nation's spirits immediately after Monday's crushing defeat in Nottingham – and the best he could do, really, was to tell countless millions of fans to hope for a change of fortune.
Writing in Mumbai Mirror, Ayaz Memon asks MS Dhoni's critics to hold their guns, since the captain has been unfortunate with form woes and injuries to key players.
It’s easy to get swayed by emotion over Dhoni’s gesture in withdrawing the appeal against Ian Bell, now part of one of cricket’s biggest debates, though this does play a significant part in this assessment. There are several and very strong votaries that the laws of the game are paramount, but not if they reduce the dignity of the game. The ‘conscience call’ taken by the Indian team was correct and memorable.
Akhila Ranganna is assistant editor (Audio) at ESPNcricinfo