Practice does makes perfect

– When India won their first series in England in 1971 they had eight first-class matches in the run-up to the first Test; this year India had one and are 2-0 down with three to play.

The 1971 India side, captained by Ajit Wadekar, whose death was announced on Wednesday, played county teams between the Tests and ended with a 1-0 win in a three-match series when, after two draws, they beat England at The Oval.

In 2018, Virat Kohli’s men scheduled a solitary four-day game against Essex, which, on the eve of the fixture, was cut to three days at the tourists’ request.

India head into this week’s third Test at Trent Bridge with no other tour games in which players can either rediscover their form or make a case for being called up.

Only once have a side come from 2-0 behind to win a fivematch Test series, when a Don Bradman-inspired Australia beat England back in 1936/37.

It may be that even if India had enjoyed more county games leading into the current series, an unusually hot and dry summer prior to last week’s second Test at Lord’s would have still left them ill-prepared for the classically English overcast and swing-friendly conditions their batsmen failed to cope with in an innings and 159run defeat.

Yet it is not as if they were unaware of the potential problem.

In January, after India had lost the first two of their three Tests in South Africa, coach Ravi Shastri said: “Conditions back home we are familiar with. Here, conditions are different.

“In hindsight, I would say another 10 days of practice here would have made a difference.”

It is perhaps no surprise that Pakistan, whose players are effectively barred from the IPL on political grounds, have, with great credit, drawn their last two Test series in England, including a 1-1 result in a two-match contest this season. – AFP