CRICKET: ENGLAND v INDIA, SECOND TEST:ENGLAND CAME away with the spoils from Lord's but those who watched a string of near-immaculate performances during the winter will recognise this win was achieved playing below their best and with more than a little good fortune.
India were not assisted by their lack of adequate preparation, even in their single warm-up match, but, that aside, the loss of Zaheer Khan so soon into the game having put England in, and the subsequent loss of 40 overs of play at a time when the ball was performing acrobatics in the gloom, let England off the hook.
Kevin Pietersen was fortunate to survive what appeared to be a legitimate catch to backward short-leg when 49 – an immediate result for an intuitive piece of captaincy – and went on to play the decisive innings. There were catches dropped too, by Rahul Dravid, usually so reliable.
Yet England, a side who take pride in the highest standard of fielding, did not help themselves. You do not drop players of the calibre of Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman and not expect to pay heavily for it along the line. Largely then, exhilarating as the win was for England, they knew they got away with it. Things may not fall into their laps quite so readily the second time around.
Already, though, the contest has taken its toll on the players. Once Zaheer pulled up lame with a hamstring injury there was little chance, given the brief break between the first two Tests, he would be ready for Trent Bridge.
It would simply not be viable to trust him as part of a three-man pace attack and Sreesanth, a mercurial bowler but a competitive one, will take his place.
So India will be deprived of their main cutting edge and most experienced bowler in conditions that brought Zaheer nine wickets in their win here in 2007 and would have suited him once more.
Furthermore the appalling blow that Gautam Gambhir took on the left elbow while fielding at short-leg during England’s second innings looks likely to put him out of the contest as well, which means, with the continuing absence of Virender Sehwag, India are without their first-choice opening partnership, something for which the addition of the volatile talent of Yuvraj Singh will not compensate.
England’s problem extends as far as Chris Tremlett, who ran in willingly at Lord’s although himself hampered with a hamstring strain, albeit less serious than Zaheer’s. It was hoped early yesterday this would prove little more than stiffness but a net session cut short means that, once again with a three-man pace attack, caution will be the order of the day.
Tremlett, who first rattled Indian bones here four years ago, will be replaced by Tim Bresnan.
This should not be regarded as a handicap, for Bresnan was close to selection for Lord’s in place of Stuart Broad and played a significant role in England winning the final two Tests in Australia last winter.
He is a considerable bowler, especially in the sort of swingy conditions likely to be found at Trent Bridge. His batting will strengthen the lower order too, an area where the battle has already been fought and won at Lord’s by England, who went from 270 for five in the first innings to 474 for eight and from 62 for five in the second to 269 for six compared with India (183 for five to 286 all out and 165 for five to 261 all out) – a differential that would have had the jowls of Duncan Fletcher, the new coach of India who has set out his coaching stall by such things during his time with England, wobbling like jelly.
It looks as if the groundsman at Trent Bridge has given the bowlers something with which to work. The ground itself is renowned for helping swing more than any other, whatever the overhead conditions, more so for some reason since the construction of the Fox Road stand a few years back.
But beyond that there was grass on the pitch yesterday reminiscent of some of the pitches when Richard Hadlee and Clive Rice ruled the roost over the ground.
The surface was hard too, which may well offer good carry: swing, seam and bounce sounds like a heady combination on which the batsmen of both sides could ponder overnight.
The idea, bandied in the few days since the Lord’s defeat that India are used to starting slowly in a series, is scant excuse for their lack of preparation but England will nonetheless be mindful of the possibility of being caught on the rebound.
There is something about adversity, too, that can bind a side together. At Lord’s India were caught on the hop by what Lemony Snicket would call a series of unfortunate events. This time they know what it is that confronts them and they had better be able to deal with it.
But the time is past where England, buoyed by success, would get carried away. Winning is a good habit and ingrained now, with 17 wins and only four defeats in 28 matches since Andy Flower took charge permanently.
India in that same time have lost only four of 22 matches, winning 11, and twice shrugging off defeat with telling victories in the following match. They will expect nothing less this time. England will have other ideas. Toe to toe, this could be an outstanding contest.
GuardianService
