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ShareSome have asked if it is appropriate to play cricket at a time like this, but I think it will be a welcome relief to everybody who has been pre-occupied with terror. Life must go on.
The Test series with England will begin two weeks after the tour was interrupted by terror last Wednesday. In fact, the attack at the CST railway station began minutes before Rohit Sharma scored the winning runs in the fifth ODI in Cuttack.
So, in a sense, it would be appropriate if the resumption of cricket next week signals a return to a semblance of normalcy.
Although the English board has expressed fresh concerns over the new email threat to attack airports and hijack planes, it must be complimented for prevailing over reluctant players like Flintoff to ensure a full-strength Test side comes back to play. That sends a strong signal out that India will not be isolated by the attack.
It will be a challenge for both teams to get back into rhythm after the unexpected break, perhaps even more so for Dhoni and co. who were on a roll winning five ODIs in a row. Both teams will also find it hard to be aggressive toward each other, at least initially, coming together as they are after a terror attack in which people from both countries were victims. On the other hand, the absence of aggression may in fact make for good cricket, where the focus is more on skills.
In cricketing terms, for India, this Test series marks an important inflection point even though it is just two matches. That is because of the retirement of two people who have been almost permanent fixtures in the team for a decade and a half.
The retirement of Anil Kumble is a great opportunity for Amit Mishra to establish himself in the side, and I'm looking forward to that because he's more of a classical leg-spinner relying on flight, turn and guile to get wickets. I hope he's able to relax, with the support of the selectors and captain, instead of worrying about the other leggie Piyush Chawla who is snapping at his heels.
The other big opportunity is for Yuvraj Singh to settle the question once and for all if he is good enough for Test cricket, or only good for limited overs cricket. I think this is the first time he will get a fair chance to prove himself in Tests, with the backing he enjoys from the captain and a settled position in the batting order. Earlier, he always only came in as a replacement for an injured player or as a makeshift opener.
The key will be for him to remember there are usually two slips or more in Test cricket, which means he has to learn to leave the outgoing ball just as Gautam Gambhir has done. He will also have to use his feet against the spinners a little more than he has had to do in one-dayers where it is simply a matter of tonking the ball out of the park. Of course, England is unlikely to pose any serious challenge in the spin department.
The other batting position that will be watched with interest, albeit in a negative sense, will be that of Rahul Dravid. According to me, he does not deserve to be in the side after doing nothing of note over the past four series. Anyway, this should be a make or break time for him.
From England's point of view, it is difficult to see how they will take 20 wickets. All the pace bowlers - Flintoff, Harmison, Anderson - were dealt with easily in the one-dayers, and although the off-spinner Swann got a few wickets, the Tests are a different kettle of fish. That leaves the left-arm spin of Monty Panesar, which seems to have fallen short of the promise it held when he first hit the scene. But let's see.
The best bet for the English will be in the Chennai and Mohali pitches playing as easy as it has done in recent times (although Australia managed to lose in Mohali by adopting an inexplicable hit-out-or-get-out approach in the second innings). But the mood in the country is such that even a drawn Test match will be a welcome change from the news channels.
