Yesterday, India’s timing for all sports fans was perfect. They wrapped up the six-wicket win over England in the third ODI just in time to allow everyone to switch to PV Sindhu’s badminton World Championships semi-final.
European champion Carolina Marin proved to be too good for Sindhu in the semi-final, the second year in succession the Indian has made it to the stage but there was no doubting Indian cricket’s ODI class just as there was no doubting the absurdity of the England team’s ODI struggles.
They say England struggles in the ODI format because they simply don’t care enough for the format. Everything in the English cricket ecosystem is focused towards helping them beat the Aussies and winning the Ashes. So the focus is almost always the longer format but that can’t be an excuse for how poor they were.
They say England struggles in the ODI format because they simply don’t care enough for the format. AP
Just as India struggled against the pace and movement of the English bowlers during the final three Tests – England found themselves all at sea against India’s plethora of part-time and full-time spinners.
Suresh Raina got the initial breakthrough – sending back Alex Hales after the England openers had put on 82 (18 overs). In the next 25 overs, England put on another 100 runs and were reduced to 182-7. They were completely smothered by spin to such an extent that it almost seemed like a parody at times.
There is a school of thought that says that you should pick your best bowlers regardless of the conditions. For example, Australia would play three fast bowlers and a spinner even when they would tour India. It didn’t always work but at least it meant that the captain knew exactly what fields to set and the fielders understood the angles at all times.
Given how poorly England have fared against spin, Mahendra Singh Dhoni might be spending an awful lot of time thinking about the decision to play Stuart Binny ahead of R Ashwin in the Tests. Clearly, Ashwin is a better bowler than Binny and if spin holds this sort of power over England, then who know what might have happened.
Coming to India, it’s interesting just how comfortable Dhoni seemed to be setting fields. At one point, after the bowlers told him that there was enough turn, he had fielders in close catching positions. This, certainly, was in sharp contrast to the fields India had during the Test matches and while the fast bowlers bowled.
For spinners, the players seem to have all the angles covered. Their anticipation is good and even Suresh Raina managed to hold on to a brilliant catch at leg-slip – a task that seemed well beyond this team in the Tests. They just know.
But then it makes one wonder what this team will do in Australia. They will once again be forced to rely on pacemen; Dhoni’s keeping (he doesn’t dive) will once again be exposed; the slip fielders will be unsure of their positions and the fielders at point and cover will also play a guessing game. At one point, the commentators on TV were saying that India used to be a good catching side but a poor fielding side – and that seems to have reversed now.
If India’s success in ODIs while the spinners are in charge can be put down to experience – in international and domestic cricket. Then, can we also put down the struggles against pace and swing to inexperience?
In essence, it also means that this team needs to play against fast bowlers on green, bouncy tracks a lot more or they will struggle in Australia. It seems simple enough. Prepare tracks in domestic cricket that mimic what the team might face in Australia and get at least the Test specialists to bat on them. Have training camps on those tracks. Have tutorials on those tracks for paceman – borrow Glenn McGrath from the MRF academy if need be. And get Rahul Dravid to help with the slips. It has to be a solid program – not the kind of hastily put together nonsense that we are used to seeing.
So even though India are cruising in the ODIs – the think-tank should at least be wondering how they can be so good in one format (albeit against a strangely, confused England team) and so poor in the other.
At the end of the day, this is all not just food for thought but also perhaps the answer India is seeking to end its Test woes on away tours.
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