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India-England 100th Test: One for the history books

Lord’s is all set to host the 2000th Test in history, the 100th between England and India and the first of a four-match rubber in which the visitors’ No 1 ranking is on the line.

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Lord’s is all set to host the 2000th Test in history, the 100th between England and India and the first of a four-match rubber in which the visitors’ No 1 ranking is on the line. Besides, spectators at the fabled venue could, perhaps, over the next five days, witness Sachin Tendulkar raise his bat skywards for a staggering 100th time in his international career

A walk down the main thoroughfare reveals a strange buzz in the city. The piece of cricketing history that is in the making is lost in the hum and buzz surrounding the phone-hacking scandal here. The 2000th Test in history and the 100th England-India contest are not on the front pages of any newspaper. Nor are they making headlines on any TV channel. And Sachin Tendulkar’s impending 100th century? Well, the whole of England seems preoccupied with Rebekah Brooks, Rupert Murdoch and the future of David Cameron.

The buzz, however, is different on the hallowed lanes leading to the Lord’s Cricket Ground. The sprawling venue is embellished with posters of Tendulkar and there is an air of expectancy about the master’s milestone. “I know he will love to reach the milestone here but we will try to make it difficult for him,” said Andrew Strauss. “We have plans for him,” the English skipper quipped.

Interestingly enough, India would not like to talk about it, although there may not come a better occasion to achieve such a mega landmark. “He is not thinking about it and we don’t talk about it,” MS Dhoni said on Wednesday, the eve of the first Test. It, perhaps, was expected of the India skipper. After their batting performance in Taunton, few Indian batsmen would be thinking of centuries any way.

But Dhoni was not willing to give too much credence to his players’ showing in the warm-up game. However, he cannot overlook the fact that England have bowlers with more destructive capabilities than Charl Willoughby. 

James Anderson may not possess the built of a fast bowler but in helpful conditions, he is a bull unbound. Pinpoint accuracy in length, calibration in line and control in swing… the Ashes is there as a testament to his capabilities. A lot is expected of him in the series. After he is done with Anderson, Andrew Strauss can unleash other bowlers of Anderson’s abilities.

Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad and the Chris Tremlett can be as devastating in home ambience as their spearhead. The expected three-pronged pace prowess is backed up by Graeme Swann, arguably the world’s best spinner. Few attacks in the world can match England’s firepower, variety and versatility.

The question is not whether India possess the wherewithal to tackle the English attack but, whether they are prepared well enough for it. One practice game is not the most ideal preparation for a side that is handicapped by the absence of their most destructive batsman, Virender Sehwag. The skipper will need his batsmen to be more patient, alert and resilient than they were at Taunton.

With a new opening pair in Gautam Gambhir and Abhinav Mukund, it would be difficult for India to get a good start and a lot will depend on Rahul Dravid, Tendulkar and VVS Laxman. For the experienced trio, with over 400 Test between them, the vagaries of weather, caprices of the pitch and limited practice should be mundane factors before a big game. But then, you never know.

Dravid has not been in the best of touch, Tendulkar is coming from a long lay-off and Laxman has not done very well in England.
India are undecided on the bowling combination. The attack was listless in the tour opener. Zaheer Khan and S Sreesanth were rusty, while Munaf Patel was a mystery, giving little clue if he was seaming, swinging or spinning the ball. Little wonder then that the skipper is undecided over the attack.

That line-up, of course, will be decided after taking into consideration the weather. It is expected to be rainy and cloudy for most part of the Test, but then they say that the English weather — just like English lasses — is unpredictable. Dhoni would be advised to keep that in mind.

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