Two-zero down and with two Tests to go, not many Indian fans have much hope left for a turnaround in England. I am, however, of a different opinion. And this hope does rest in fact. Among the many reasons for failure, so far, the one central reason is India?s inability to combat the second new ball. At the root of this inability, it can surely be stated, is the forced change to India?s batting order due to injuries. At Lord?s, Gautam Gambhir?s injury forced Rahul Dravid to open with VVS Laxman batting at number three and Sachin Tendulkar at five. While Gautam Gambhir did bat at number four, the settled look to the order had been lost.
Trent Bridge was worse. With Gambhir out India XI was forced to open with the makeshift pair of Rahul Dravid and Mukund with Laxman once again batting at number three. This meant that India was exposing Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and the lower middle order to the second new ball in swing-friendly conditions.
India?s success overseas in the last few years has rested on our ability to negotiate the new ball, be it the first or the second. With Sehwag and Gambhir at the top followed by Dravid, more often than not Tendulkar has come in to bat with more than 20 plus overs accounted for with the new ball. And then with Tendulkar batting with Laxman, the second new ball too hasn?t posed much of a threat. Dhoni and company, more often than not, have come in with the second new ball having lost its shine and have been able to contribute healthily to the Indian batting cause. Harbhajan Singh?s two consecutive hundreds and his batting exploits in the Caribbean are clear cases in point.
Here in England it has been different. With Laxman not batting in the middle order, the fragility of the lower-middle order against the swinging new cherry has been exposed and the runs which the lower order have so regularly contributed in the last couple of years have suddenly dried up. This explains the 267-4 to 288 all out at Trent Bridge or rather the 223-5 to 261 all out at Lord?s.
At Edgbaston it will be different. Chances are India will finally be fielding a full strength batting unit with batsmen playing at their respective batting positions. Sehwag is all set to open the innings and though Gambhir continues to have a swelling in his elbow at the time of writing this column he is certain to take the field in the most important Test match of the series starting on August 10. Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman will then bat in their respective positions with the number six position being a toss-up between Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli.
While it may not seem that big an ordeal, batting at unaccustomed positions can be really challenging on occasions. For example, there?s a definite difference between opening the batting and coming in at number three, a point eloquently made by Rahul Dravid in one of his many press conferences in the course of the last two weeks. Says Dravid, ?It is a pretty big adjustment. I have grown up batting in the middle order and at number three. All my routines are planned accordingly. I need the 15-20 minutes one gets as a number three batsman to regroup at the end of the opposition innings. When you open you are rushed on occasions. For example at Lord?s I felt very rushed in the second innings. At Trent Bridge I was determined to give myself a bit more time so that I did not feel rushed. It is a pretty big adjustment in the end.?
The forced change to the batting order coupled with the unavailability of one strike bowler due to injury had severely handicapped Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his team. Hoping that India will be fielding four fit bowlers at Edgbaston, the lack of balance in the bowling mix, too, will be addressed.
All said and done, Edgbaston, it can be hoped, will be different. While the English have already started celebrating a possible series victory and their ascendancy to the pole position in world cricket, there is still a lot of cricket left to be played in the series. In fact, the series is only half done.
The writer is a sports historian