Bangalore Test, Day 5, Close
Sunday, December 23, 2001

The rain gods have been kind to Sourav Ganguly in the last few weeks. Last month, India wriggled out of a tight situation in Port Elizabeth when most of the fourth day was rained out. I am not sure if England would have actually won this Test, but they could have put India under immense pressure had the rains stayed away.

India have won the series, but Nasser Hussain would be the happier man by far. When the England team landed here, everyone was predicting a 3-0 cakewalk for India. That didn't happen, primarily because England showed tremendous character and guts.

In the last few years, all international teams have taken the tour to the subcontinent far more seriously than they used to in the 1980s and early 1990s. Earlier, a tour to the subcontinent had to be endured, not enjoyed, and teams started counting the days to go home almost immediately after they landed. For them, international cricket consisted of matches played in South Africa, Australia, England and New Zealand – the tours to Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka didn't matter.

That attitude has seen a sea-change, and Australia must take most of the credit for that. Following their lead, other teams have also started taking a tour to the subcontinent more seriously. Seen in that context, England's performance here isn't really surprising. They didn't have exceptional ability, but their character and resilience was outstanding.

India's problems began with their team composition. On a Motera pitch which assisted spinners, they went in with two spinners instead of three, and in seamer-friendly conditions in Bangalore, they had one pacer and three spinners. The team management's inability to read the conditions was worrying.

The inconsistency of the middle-order in home conditions and against a less-than-terrifying England attack was quite incomprehensible too. It might have been the after-effect of the drubbing India got in South Africa.

SS Das had another disappointing series. After scoring a century in only his second Test, Das has fallen away in the last few matches. He has frittered away starts repeatedly, and seems to have lost his bearings a bit. Sourav Ganguly's batting form continues to slip alarmingly. His captaincy, while not outstanding, hasn't been as worrying as his batting.

The most heartening performance for India was Anil Kumble's bowling. He proved that he was back at his best after his shoulder surgery. Tinu Yohannan impressed on his debut and has immense potential. The team management needs to nurture him carefully.

Nasser Hussain had many positives to take away from this series, the most important one being his captaincy. Apart from the one mistake he made in not declaring at Ahmedabad, he was spot-on. He handled his bowlers superbly, and most importantly, played within his team's limitations.

Matthew Hoggard and Richard Dawson were the bowlers who excited me the most. England's cricket is looking much healthier than it did when they started this series. Conversely, Indian cricket has taken a few steps back.

Sanjay Manjrekar, mainstay of the Indian batting in the late '80s and early '90s, was talking to S Rajesh.

More from Manjrekar
Day 4, Close: Rain gods to India's rescue

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