Why India will win in England this time
Ganguly is prepared
By Anil
June 17 2002
Ganguly has already said that it will not be easy to win in England. But he has a fair idea of what to do to win. Indian batsmen should thrive, and while he would have wished to have the services of Javagal Srinath, he has more than enough ammunition in the bowling department.
From England's record at home, it seems that the Indian team is poised for a struggle in the 4-Test series and ODI tri-series this summer. Why should the Indians feel confident going into this series? Especially after the highly ranked Sri Lankans have lost 0-2?
Sourav Ganguly - Captain Courageous
Ganguly has matured greatly as a captain. He also knows this England team, its strengths and its weaknesses. And, he has a recent Test series win against them.
As a batsman, Ganguly has had some of his greatest successes in England. The last time an Indian side toured England, Ganguly debuted in Tests, and scored heavily. He slammed two centuries in his first two Tests. This is something that will weigh heavily on Hussain's mind.
Sachin Tendulkar, Master Class
It is common knowledge that the sight of Sachin Tendulkar strikes fear into the English side. To combat Sachin, the English captain and bowlers had resorted to borderline tactics against India, in an attempt to reduce India's margin of victory early this year in their Test series against India. This time, there will be no refuge for the English bowlers, as the ICC rules have since been modified to disallow negative bowling tactics which include pitching consistently outside legstump to restrict scoring. Sachin is also well used to conditions in England.
The rest
Rahul Dravid has achieved great success in England in both Tests and ODIs. He has done well not only for India, but also for the English county of Kent. Dravid will be looking forward to lots of runs in familiar English conditions.
This will be the first outing for VVS Laxman in England, and judging from his form in the West Indies, he will be ready for the challenge. The exciting Virender Sehwag, popularly labelled the most promising young batsman in world cricket, will look to enhance his reputation. Openers SS Das and Wasim Jaffer will try to cement their roles here.
The bowlers
Of the bowlers, only Ajit Agarkar has bowled in England, and he will likely be the liveliest of the quickies in either side. Nehra should enjoy the English conditions with his top class swing bowling, and Zaheer will look to exploit the more pace friendly of the grounds with his pace and hostility. Sanjar Bangar, who received his spot in the Indian Test team thanks to his exploits against the English batsmen in their tour games, is likely to do well in those conditions as well with his ability to move the ball both ways. Finally, the spin twins Harbhajan and Kumble will be a threat regardless of conditions. Yohannan, who enjoyed moderate success against the Poms, is also part of the Test squad. There are two wicketkeepers in the quicksilver Ajay Ratra and teenage prodigy Parthiv Patel, with the latter unlikely to find a spot in any of the Tests.
The ODIs
The ODIs will see a 3-way contest between India, England, and Sri Lanka, and here too India have a good chance to pull off a victory with a side that performed admirably in the Windies. One-day specialists Mongia, Yuvraj, and Kaif will fortify the Indian batting which will already has an awesome look to it with a great like Dravid serving as wicketkeeper, and 2 of the best ODI batsmen in the world in Sachin and Sourav.
The English
Our next article will focus on a breakdown of the English team and how each of them is likely to fare against the Indians.