With all the joy of how well we are playing, it should be tempered by this from Scyld Berry, it is part of an article in the Telegraph.
The second problem I was experiencing was the game’s administration. This was billed as a world heavyweight contest, and spectators - and many television viewers - are being charged accordingly. Yet this series has been so one-sided that everybody has been short-changed.
India’s board have failed to prioritise Test cricket since the Indian Premier League was launched; they have failed to prioritise this series in particular.
The Indian players are either overcooked - those who toured the West Indies straight after the World Cup and the IPL - or undercooked. Only Rahul Dravid had the right amount of rest then preparation.
One of Tendulkar’s few public pronouncements, some years ago, was that there should be the minimum of a fortnight between one tour or series and the next. Of course, he is right.
For the Indians to play in the West Indies one week and a Test at Lord’s the next week is an error for which the administrators concerned should be held accountable.
India started off on the wrong foot and have remained there ever since. To keep wicket properly in English conditions, Mahendra Singh Dhoni needed one or two first-class matches, not a brief break in Taunton.
Scarcely an over in this series has passed in which he has caught the ball cleanly. A team without a wicketkeeper doing his job are bound to become ragged in the field and demoralised.
India for the last decade have had great batsmen and fine spinners. What made them into No 1 was their opening pair of Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma.
England would not have wriggled off the hook of 124 for eight if Zaheer had been fit. But, again, his preparation was so poor that he had one innings of bowling before the series after a long lay-off.
Instead, India’s bowling has been carried by Ishant and Praveen Kumar. They are playing their fifth Test in six weeks - India’s first Test against West Indies began on June 20. If they have any legs left to stand on, they will play seven Tests in eight weeks. This is utterly inexcusable administration.
India’s batsmen were exposed by the short balls, especially of Tim Bresnan. The Indians did not face a tall fast bowler in the West Indies - Darren Sammy does not count as fast - or against Somerset, so they needed special preparation.
To be worth paying to watch, international cricket has to be played with flat-out intensity by players who have had a rest within living memory and who are about to peak when the series begins.
This should not be beyond the capacity of the game’s administrators. Yet it is.
Author
Topic: England vs India Test Matches (Read 28907 times)