Beaten India look ahead
Birmingham: That there was no planning for the England series has been evident from the results so far. India can do well by planning for the future series. Ian Chappell hit the nail on the head saying India should right away start planning for the tour Down Under this fall. That tour is expected to be as demanding as the England series has been.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) tried hard to hammer home the point that there cannot be a discussion on the England tour while it is on but indications are that it will sit with coach Duncan Fletcher to chalk out a roadmap for the future, particularly for the Australia series.
The board has realised that there was a delay in appointing the successor to Duncan Fletcher after Gary Kirsten quit and they would not let the Australia series go the England way ' unplanned. Fletcher's inputs will be sought on this by the board.
There could be a chance that some key players will be kept fresh for the Australia tour. One important issue is the availability of Zaheer Khan, who is out for three months. Getting him to match fitness will be a challenge. For the record, Zaheer, who will undergo a surgery, is out for 12-14 weeks.
Equally important will be the fitness of Ishant Sharma, who was in a way, born as a cricketer in Australia.The conditions Down Under tend to provide more bounce than movement and Ishant will be an important player in the tour.
More important is the preparedness of the batsmen and Fletcher's inputs are key in this aspect. The coach has dropped a few hints about his thinking on the issue when he said, 'I'm trying to settle in and see characters of individuals.'
The former England coach appears concerned about the growth of the GenNext of Indian batting. 'I am especially looking at the young guys and trying to assess if they have character to handle Test cricket,' he said.
The coach did not get into specifics but India may do well to persist with some of the youngsters in the Oval Test. Of particular importance is the need to gauge the progress of Abhinav Mukund.
The Tamil Nadu opener has played in testing conditions and the experience could stand him in good stead. The team could do well to expose him to the English pacers in the final Test.
Similar is the case with Suresh Raina. The young left-hander has struggled against the rising ball but he is richer in experience. He could come handy in Australia where the bowlers relish hurling the ball at the batsman's chin.
As for the Oval, it is time India showed that they are made of better stuff than the world has been witness to so far. Having played three Tests and a couple of tour games, the team should be ready to go all guns blazing. Skipper MS Dhoni has said they will treat the Oval Test, starting on August 18, as a one-off Test.
The team cannot claim it was underprepared for the match. The team has been here for more than a month and it is time they showed their real might.
Birmingham: That there was no planning for the England series has been evident from the results so far. India can do well by planning for the future series. Ian Chappell hit the nail on the head saying India should right away start planning for the tour Down Under this fall. That tour is expected to be as demanding as the England series has been.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) tried hard to hammer home the point that there cannot be a discussion on the England tour while it is on but indications are that it will sit with coach Duncan Fletcher to chalk out a roadmap for the future, particularly for the Australia series.
The board has realised that there was a delay in appointing the successor to Duncan Fletcher after Gary Kirsten quit and they would not let the Australia series go the England way ' unplanned. Fletcher's inputs will be sought on this by the board.
There could be a chance that some key players will be kept fresh for the Australia tour. One important issue is the availability of Zaheer Khan, who is out for three months. Getting him to match fitness will be a challenge. For the record, Zaheer, who will undergo a surgery, is out for 12-14 weeks.
Equally important will be the fitness of Ishant Sharma, who was in a way, born as a cricketer in Australia.The conditions Down Under tend to provide more bounce than movement and Ishant will be an important player in the tour.
More important is the preparedness of the batsmen and Fletcher's inputs are key in this aspect. The coach has dropped a few hints about his thinking on the issue when he said, 'I'm trying to settle in and see characters of individuals.'
The former England coach appears concerned about the growth of the GenNext of Indian batting. 'I am especially looking at the young guys and trying to assess if they have character to handle Test cricket,' he said.
The coach did not get into specifics but India may do well to persist with some of the youngsters in the Oval Test. Of particular importance is the need to gauge the progress of Abhinav Mukund.
The Tamil Nadu opener has played in testing conditions and the experience could stand him in good stead. The team could do well to expose him to the English pacers in the final Test.
Similar is the case with Suresh Raina. The young left-hander has struggled against the rising ball but he is richer in experience. He could come handy in Australia where the bowlers relish hurling the ball at the batsman's chin.
As for the Oval, it is time India showed that they are made of better stuff than the world has been witness to so far. Having played three Tests and a couple of tour games, the team should be ready to go all guns blazing. Skipper MS Dhoni has said they will treat the Oval Test, starting on August 18, as a one-off Test.
The team cannot claim it was underprepared for the match. The team has been here for more than a month and it is time they showed their real might.
News Posted: 16 August, 2011
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