Good start vital to India's hopes - TeluguPeople.com News

CHENNAI: It takes lot of effort to reach the top but staying there is the real challenge. After India's defeat at the hands of England there are whispers whether India can hold on to the No 1 spot for long. Many have attributed India's loss to England in the 1st Test because of poor preparation. India were outplayed in all departments by the hosts.

India's strength is batting and after winning the toss Dhoni chose to bowl. This shows that the Indians were not confident of playing the better English attack first. By doing so they gave England the psychological advantage.

Secondly our bowlers bowled a poor length and allowed England to pile up a good score in their first essay. India did well to have five Englishmen under 70 in their second essay. Thereafter the Indian attack lost focus and allowed Matt Prior and Stuart Broad to blossom. Batting on the fifth day, Indians lacked application, particularly Dhoni, and surrendered meekly.

The best thing to do when India face England in the second Test in Nottingham is to start afresh and not brood over the loss in the first Test. Batting is India's strength and we should bat first if MS Dhoni wins the toss. Gautam Gambhir and Abhinav Mukund should give Indid a good start, which is vital.

Sachin Tendulkar should forget he is approaching a landmark and play his natural game without being bogged down by the weight of expectation. A big innings from Dhoni is overdue and he must try to duplicate his T20 success.

Munaf Patel should be played instead of Zaheer Khan as Shanthakumaran Sreesanth tends to spray after a while. Our bowlers should focus on hitting the deck at the right spot and length. Our players can draw inspiration from the past tours. India won 2-0 in 1986.

England has its own charm and a brand of followers as far as the gentleman's game goes. Although cricket may not have a great following as in the past with youngsters attracted to football, there is still a strong following by a select band, with club and County culture still active.

For the middle-aged and senior citizens attending a Test match is a celebration and one can see them in their best attire. No wonder one saw was a packed house at Lord's.

What makes a cricketer crave for recognition in England is the desire to show that he can master the conditions. The weather in England is fickle. It is sunshine at one moment, followed by rain. The huge and majestic grounds, the wickets and atmosphere makes a player give his best.

Wickets in England are different from the rest of the world. Generally green tops which aid seam bowling are prepared to greet the visitors. But to play swing bowling backed with pace one needs a water-tight technique. In other words, wickets in England test the true calibre of a player.

No wonder Sunil Gavaskar, widely regarded as the one of the best openers, rates his 57 at Old Trafford in 1971 as his best innings. He rates it his best because the wicket was a green top. Similarly he rates his 101 vs England, at Manchester in 1974 as his best Test century.

Tendulkar too finds his maiden tony in 1990 in England special for it signalled his arrival on the big league.