India vs England Series Preview

Many saw England's tumultuous success against Australia in the Ashes last summer as the genuine dawn of an era of domination for English cricket, but as they begin their latest test series against India the forecast is already foreboding, and it is starting to look as though the peak for this team may already have been and gone. A pre Christmas tour of Pakistan was presumably going to be relatively straight forward for these world beaters. However, they demonstrated a lack of ability to adapt to unfavourable conditions and were soundly beaten 2-0, and held on for dear life for it not to be 3-0. Playing in the sub continent is arguably the hardest challenge in cricket, and especially when approaching from atop any kind of pedestal as England did in the autumn. All the mock humble talk was of how they couldn't be considered the best team in the world until they had beaten Australia away from home. This was failing to take account of the more pressing challenges, and following the hapless defeat in Pakistan, the mantra of being the best team in the world is very definitely well out of reach for the foreseeable future. India will pose no fewer problems, and are arguably a better side than Pakistan, even if they did lose the three match January series 1-0. This was in Pakistan though, and other than against Australia, India have only lost one test match at home since March 2000. The passion in the country is incomparable to anywhere else in the world, and the players consistently respond positively to the vociferous and tumultuous support both on and off the pitch. The selectors have left out Suarav Ganguly for the first test at least, but purely on the grounds of poor form and the fact that they feel a better alternative is available in the shape of Wassim Jaffer or youngster Suresh Raina. Otherwise the batting line up has a familiar and formidable look to it, with Dravid, Sehwag, Laxman and Tendulkar the names that leap off the page. Each of them have a test batting average of over 50. The England camp is in something of a shambolic state. Spin, or lack thereof, remains an issue especially in the traditionally turning amphitheatres of India. Some saw the injury to Ashley Giles as a blessing in disguise, but there is little about the early season form of Ian Blackwell and Monty Panesar to suggest they will be genuine strike bowlers. The 36 Year old Shaun Udal in the third option and may well play a part at some point. But the days when England's worries were contained in the slow bowling ranks are long gone. The batting line up looks decidedly dodgy. Marcus Trescothick is out of the first test in Nagpur and possibly the whole series. The Somerset opener scored more runs than any other Englishman in 2005 and is the best player of spin in the squad. This is a vital part of the game with top class spinners Harbajhan Singh and Anil Kumble in the opposition team. Even more crucial is the news that Michael Vaughan has returned to England after a recurrence of an old knee injury. His experience would have been vital, especially with Trescothick missing, but it is his captaincy that will be missed more than his batting. The Yorkshireman has been becoming ever more established as a skipper and his cool head would have been a valuable asset. With both he and Trescothick unavailable, Andrew Flintoff is likely to be given the leadership responsibility. This is despite Vaughan openly saying in the summer that the all rounder must mature before becoming skipper, and a worrying lack of form on his own part. Warm up scores of 20, 5, 1 and 2 are alarming and he has no experience of captaining a test match team. We also feel that his swash buckling style, and that of Kevin Petersen (another man with injury problems) are not necessarily suitable to the slow grinding days that will make up this series. It was clear in the Pakistan series that a lack of patience pervades this England team, and this must be addressed. England fans will be far more entertained by a winning team, than one who hit 200 in 45 overs before being bowled out and losing. To put a positive slant on these circumstances, at least some young blood ought to be given a shot at the big time. Alistair Cook is likely to open alongside Andrew Strauss, and coming off a century for England A in WestIndies will have some confidence. The jump to test level is a huge one though, and few players manage to adapt immediately. Further batting cover will come in the shape of either Vikram Solanki, Owais Shah or Ed Joyce but again it hard to say how they will fare at the start of their test match careers. The seam bowling attack has not escaped this spate of injuries either, with Liam Plunkett nursing a bruised heel. James Anderson, the man Plunkett was called in for has also made the journey from Antigua to join up with the squad. The return of Simon Jones was a big plus for England and his reverse swing should have reaped some rewards, but two days before the first test begins, he is also rated as doubtful. Flintoff, Steve Harmison and Matthew Hoggard will be the crux of the seam offering, but in hostile and unhelpful conditions, they will have to work for every inch of bounce and movement. We are not at all confident about England prospects for this tour. The weather may play a part, but looking back at matches in India at this time of year since 2000, not a single draw has been forced by the weather. 7/1 is available for a 3-0 whitewash in India's favour, and this looks like excellent value at home against an inexperienced and out of form England.