India should flex their muscle: Ronnie Irani

Ronnie Irani was a combative cricketer. The former England all-rounder impels India to show the fighting spirit to win the series. Excerpts:

How do you think the series will pan out?
It was obviously not a good start for India. I want to see them attack England. At Lord’s, they looked a little reserved. They did not attack England the way England attacked India. Lord’s is the home of cricket and they were not at their best. The occasion got to India. You see how Kevin Pietersen and Matt Prior attacked India. India need to do that exactly. India are missing Virender Sehwag. It is not just Sehwag the player that was missed. They missed the style of his play.

Do you think the perception in England of the Indian team has changed over the years?
Oh, absolutely. England hold massive respect for India. Even globally, India are treated with respect. India carry the cricketing flag. The centre of cricket is in India and it is recognised by the world. They are the world champions. They need to flex their muscles here. They are the No 1 cricketing nation and if they don’t attack, England will tear apart their mental state. They got to fight for their No 1 status.

If India have to turn things around, what should they do?
They need to be aggressive. Go and play like Pietersen plays. India are better than what we saw at Lord’s. They will come back hard, I’m sure. I will be really surprised if they do the same again. They have to dominate otherwise there will be no chance for them. Be positive. Get the boundaries. Sehwag is not there but you have Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar. I like to see Yuvraj Singh there as well.

What can be the final result?
It is going to be very difficult to predict. The second Test in Trent Bridge will decide the series. If India don’t fight back, then they will lose the series. If England go 2-0 up, then the series is over. India have to make it 1-1.

Do you think they are the No 1 team in the world?
Of course. But England are right on their heels. India have to kick them away and show them who is the boss.

You have played against Sachin Tendulkar. How has he changed over the years?
He is the greatest star to have ever played the game. Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara and Viv Richards are the three greatest batsmen ever to grace the game. In that order. Javed Miandad will not be too far from the list. These guys could play in any era any time. Put Sachin in the Don Bradman era and he would do all the records Bradman had done. Sachin is the greatest batsman ever seen.

You know the conditions here well. What should India do to take England wickets?
They got to attack England the way they attacked Kevin Pietersen in the second innings. Go after them. They need to bowl with the aggression of Anil Kumble. He wanted to take a wicket off every single ball. They bowled too straight at Lord’s.

Bowl outside the off- stump. In India, people bowl straighter because of the low bounce. In England, you have to bowl down the channel. Don’t stray on to middle and off. Keep the ball outside the off-stump.

You played against India. You have any memories to share?
I have very fond memories. India is a magnificent cricketing nation. They love their cricket. Every Indian has got cricket in his blood. Look at the crowd on the last day of the Lord’s Test. Half or more than half of that crowd was Indian. Don’t forget, this was a home fixture for England.

As a cricketer, are you happy with what you have achieved?
I would have preferred playing cricket 10 years later than I did. I would have loved to play in the IPL. It is the biggest cricket league in the world. It is like NFL of American football, NBA of basketball and Premier League of football. My time is gone. I want to see India as a cricketing nation keep going. They are a wonderful nation. I hope to come there and do come commentary work.