India
and England square up against each other on March 1 to play
the first of the three test matches in Nagpur. With the ODI
series against Pakistan completely in its pouch, India will
go in with a certain positive momentum ahead of the clash.
England, on the other hand, are in a fairly opposite position.
Vice-captain Marcus Trescothick has already left the tour
party due to some personal problems. Michael Vaughan is also
set to return home with his chronic knee injury, Kevin Pietersen
and Paul Collingwood have suffered back strains over the last
week and Simon Jones has a viral infection.
Add
to that the fact that they lost the last tour match by 8 wickets,
and it is easy to notice that the Englishmen are in some sort
of turmoil. They were bowled out for 238 runs in the first
and 158 in the second innings of the game. Munaf Patel tore
through the visitors’ lineup with match figures of 10
for 91. With Indian batsmen in top form, and their spinners
back in friendlier surroundings, it can be rest assured that
the hosts will be ready to pounce on the beleaguered Britishers!
Here
are a few of the players who can make the most impact from
their sides:
| Rahul Dravid |
 |
| The Indian captain is a model of consistency and has always bailed India out whenever the team is in crisis. He has found a perfect balance between his captaincy and his batting, as was witnessed in Pakistan where he led from the front. He is the heart of the India batting line-up, and England will need to see his back fairly soon if they are to harbor any hopes of winning. |
| |
| Andrew Flintoff |
 |
| Arguably the most accomplished player currently in the world, England will be highly dependent on Andrew Flintoff's performances. With the added responsibilities of captaincy, Flintoff may just be the deciding factor between the two teams. He has enough talent and firepower in him to win a match for England on the basis of his bowling or batting alone. |
| |
| Sachin Tendulkar |
 |
| The Little Master came back
into his groove with a bunch of solid performances in
the ODIs in Pakistan. Although his reflexes might not
be as sharp as they were in the nineties, Sachin with
a record such as his, always remains a threat to the opposition.
Once again, the expectations from him are sky high and
he may just live upto them - as he has done throughout
his career. |
| |
| Steve Harmison |
 |
| Steve Harmison did an honest
job on the placid tracks in Pakistan. If he can build
on that knowledge and experience and produce a few stirring
spells here of which he is highly capable of, he could
put the Indians on the back foot. With him leading the
bowling attack, England need him desperately to fire all
cylinders. |
| |
| Anil Kumble |
 |
| After the mauling he received
at the hands of Pakistan, Anil Kumble would want to do
something special against England. Playing on the spinner-friendly
home pitches should help since he has been a gladiator
on them for over a decade. As being the highest wicket-taker
for India in tests, a lot depends on him for India's success. |
| |
| Andrew Strauss |
 |
| Andrew Strauss has all the
talent in the world to give England good starts, but he
will have to play responsibly and should look to be crafty
if he wants to succeed against a much-improved Indian
bowling lineup and in tough sub-continent conditions,
where patience is the key factor. The absence of Marcus
Trescothick means there is an added responsibilty on his
shoulders. |
| |
| Irfan Pathan |
 |
| This youngster from Baroda
is one of the best emerging talents in the world. His
batting has improved no ends, and his bowling is extremely
well-disciplined. If only he can add a couple of yards
to his pace, he will also become one of the best seamers
in the world. |
| |
| Kevin Pietersen |
 |
| KP had a below par Pakistani
tour, with one century and a host of failures. He will
have to keep the middle order intact by sticking around
for a fair amount of time. His slam-bam-thankyou-ma’m
approach would not be very suitable on sub-continental
tracks, as he might have found against Pakistan. But when
in full flow, Peitersen can take any attack to the cleaners. |
| |
| Virender Sehwag |
 |
| It will take little time, if
any, for Virender Sehwag to get into his groove. He is,
at times, a little inconsistent as it is a well-known
fact that he isn’t too fond of the moving ball.
However, he may just cherish the fact that England bowlers
have been troubled by injuries and that the conditions
may not be too seamer-friendly in India. |
|
|
