End of a Chapter for India as England Win Series 2-1

As expected, India has lost the home series to England 2-1 as the team displayed its inability to bowl the visitors out twice on a pitch which offered its bowlers next to nothing.

England scored 330/4 in the first innings while India scored 326/9. England scored 352/4 when they declared the innings with enough time for  just about 15 more overs to be played, and play was called off.

This series is a landmark of sorts.

This is England’s first win against India in India after David Gower’s team won the series here in 1984-85.

With this series comes to an end the hitherto unbroken 8-year run during which India has not lost a series on home turf. Well, at least, we are now free to create history afresh.

It is also going to mark the end of Sachn Tendulkar’s career. His aura is unlikely to save him this time. Rather unfair it is, we believe, though, because the failure is not his alone; the team as a whole has not proved its class this time.

This series may also mean the end of Dhoni’s captaincy despite his valiant knock in the first innings of the fourth and final test of this series.

This series drives home the point that quite a few of our players are overrated and under-tested in testing conditions.  BCCI and Indian players should bury the notion of tailor-made pitches forever if they want to be remembered as world class cricketers.

Perhaps BCCI should consider having fewer test matches in a year and stop participation in T-20 games so that players have time to recover from the strain of playing a series before they are marched out to play another. Money matters, yes; but winning and quality also matter – and they matter more than money does.

• About the Author

About Sprightly Spirit

“I dare do all that may become a man. Who dares more is none”. And all, may be. It may be the vigor. Or the spirit. Or the courage to avoid being “politically correct” or bent. And, ban all averse with immaculate overture of graciously fathomable words firm in views. Subtle. Justifying the undying conscience. Values. Knowledge. And, dares to stay true. True to own. True to the world. And, to the words. With a dream in eyes it exists. In you. In me. In all. The sprite that never shies away. The spirit that never dies!