England in subcontinent do better in second series
MOVING ON
KOLKATA: In the good old days of Test cricket, when England used to pack their bags for longhaul tours of the subcontinent, the second series often proved to be better for them than the first.
Take for example their 1973 tour of Pakistan. Having lost a five-match series against India 1-2 less than a month ago, England wouldn’t have been blamed for preparing for the worst when they landed in Pakistan. They left Pakistan drawing the three-match series 0-0. England again toured both countries in 1984. This time they lost 0-1 to Pakistan but went on to win the series against India 2-1.
Similar results emerged in 2012 too. England started that year by losing all three Tests to Pakistan in the UAE. But in the subsequent tour of Sri Lanka they drew 1-1. When they finally came to India in the winter, they had improved remarkably to shock the hosts and win the series 2-1.
WAKE-UP CALL
The reason behind citing these examples is to ascertain whether Bangladesh might have armed England with enough sobering experience after defeating them in the Mirpur Test. England were expected to leave Bangladesh winning 2-0. A 1-1 result, thanks to a 19-wicket haul by debutant spinner Mehedi Hasan Miraz, has hurt England’s pride big time.
Once bitten, India would be aware of what England might bring to the table when they start their tour next week. Like in 2012 England will again arrive with two main spinners in Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid but whether they can ape the consistent success of Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar is the biggest question.
Both Ali and Rashid, who picked 11 and seven wickets respectively in Bangladesh, come to India better prepared. And this time, England are also bringing adequate spin backup in Gareth
England lost 1-2 to India in a 5-match series from Dec-Feb. In the series against Pakistan, starting March 1973, Pakistan drew 0-0
England lost 0-1 to Pakistan in a 3-match series starting March. In a 5-match series against India, starting November, England won 2-1
England lost 0-2 to Pakistan in a 3-match series starting November 2005. In a 3-match Test series against India, starting March 2006, England drew 1-1
England lost 0-3 to Pakistan in a 3-Test series, starting January, in UAE. England drew 1-1 in a 2-Test series in Sri Lanka in MarchApril. England then went on to win 2-1 in a 4-Test series vs India, starting November.
The only thing you can do is experience it more often. There’s no quick fix but, as we saw, there were batters in the two Tests that were able to bat for a period of time I’m sure that will be one of the things (Ballance failing at No. 4) we discuss. It was one of the things we discussed before the series started, the different options
Batty and Zafar Ansari.
England’s main concern however surrounds their batting that collapsed in Mirpur. In less than a session, England had lost all 10 wickets for 64 runs.
But where the tour of India differs from that of Bangladesh is in its duration. Not since 2002 have India played a five-Test series at home. Used to the grind of the Ashes, this, however, is just what England would like. Add to that the humiliation in Bangladesh and England might have got the right motivation to shock India once again.