The Mohali Test will be crucial for England
Woorkheri Raman - 2 December 2001
The face off between the BCCI and the ICC has come to a predictable
end with the chiefs of both the governing bodies issuing a joint
statement. The telephone lines between India and London were busy, as
there was a deadline to be met in the case of Sehwag. The ICC took
some time before comprehending the viewpoint of the BCCI. The BCCI was
never for going against the apex international body but it wanted the
ICC to do something about the anomalies in the way the referees
carried out their duties. Finally, the ICC has shown the required
understanding and agreed to look into the issues raised by the BCCI
President, Mr Jagmohan Dalmiya.
The series between England and India will now get underway and all the
undue importance given to the Denness episode will thankfully be
pushed to the back burner. The Englishmen have been here and have
played themselves in, so to speak, on Indian pitches. The results they
have had may not be flattering but it would be prudent not to take the
visitors lightly.
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Nasser Hussain is on a mission in more ways than one and it would be a
real test for his team. The Englishmen had done well in the sub-
continent the last time they played against Pakistan and Sri Lanka,
which would really make them fancy their chances. Of course, they are
missing the likes of Atherton and Stewart but they still have enough
strength in their batting to combat the Indian attack. The fact that
there is a lot of inexperience in the Indian medium-pace department
and that coupled with the fact that the spinners Harbhajan Singh and
Anil Kumble also are under pressure to perform would give great
comfort to the visitors.
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Saurav Ganguly's love-hate affair with the Indian selection committee
continues. The Indian captain has come out with a strong statement
after he was not consulted before being given the team for the first
Test at Mohali. The entire bunch of medium-pacers from the squad in
South Africa have been sacked and younger bowlers have been drafted
in. The inclusion of a third spinner also comes as a surprise because
the chances of playing all of them are frail. The third seamer may
well be Bangar but Ganguly may rather take up that responsibility. The
lack of harmony between the think tank and the selection committee is
evident and this may prove to be beneficial for the visitors.
If the track at Mohali behaves as it normally does, then the
Englishmen would stand upto the hosts in a manner contrary to the
expectations of Indian fans. The visitors are no strangers to seaming
surfaces and the relatively inexperienced Indian pace attack would
pose no great threat to the England side. Mark Butcher and Marcus
Trescothick, the likely England openers, are capable of making big
scores. Their middle-order batsmen are also good players of spin
bowling.
Hussain, for his part, is a tough nut and quite obviously he knows
what to expect in India. He is though without his two main wicket-
takers, Darren Gough and Andrew Caddick, which leaves him with Craig
White as the spearhead. Ashley Giles can be a handful on turning
tracks but he is coming back to international cricket after a long
break owing to injury.
Given the fact that the Indians are trying to recover from the South
African blues, the visitors have a realistic chance of turning the
tables in Mohali. If they miss out there, then it will be tough for
them to beat the Indians either in Ahmedabad or Bangalore.
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