The most pleasing aspect of India's strong performance in the two Tests so far is that just about every player has contributed to the team's cause. India have clearly fared better in what has been a war of attrition and richly deserve the 1-0 lead in the five-Test series, but only because they have gelled better as team than England. The hosts have not been able to put sustained pressure on their rivals and also failed to come up with the right answers when India asked them tough questions at Lord's.
Murali Vijay, Ajinkya Rahane, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ishant Sharma have all come up with sterling performances, while the likes of Dhoni, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravindra Jadeja have done their bit to help India keep their nose ahead in what promises to be a keenly-fought series.
It is a pity that the adjudicators — a clutch of former players-turned-commentators — overlooked Bhuvneshwar Kumar twice for the Man-of-the-Match award. The unassuming lad from Meerut was a shoo in for the honour at Trent Bridge where it was handed over to James Anderson for his batting ability rather than his showing with the ball on a "poor" pitch. And many felt that Rahane was unlucky to have been overlooked at Lord's, where Ishant was a popular choice.
Then there is Murali Vijay, who, unlike Shikhar Dhawan, has compelled attention with his uncanny ability to leave deliveries alone outside his off-stump. The key to batting in England is knowing where your off-stump is and Vijay's metamorphosis from a flamboyant strokeplayer to an unflappable opener has indeed been remarkable.
The grit and gumption shown by Vijay and Pujara in the first session at Lord's on a green, moisture-laden pitch deserved a special award from the Indian team management. But for their spirited resistance up the order, Rahane's brave counter-attack later in the day and Bhuvi's all-round show, India would not have been able to call the shots on the second and third days.
And with Jadeja and Ishant coming good with bat and ball respectively in the second innings, Dhoni will have fewer worries going into the third Test. The skipper feels it has been possible because the players are in the comfort zone mentally. "What's important is to see is how they are preparing and what their mental approach is," Dhoni had said after the Lord's win. "The idea is not to talk too much about technique. Technique is important, but mental approach is more important. We have taken them to a position where they feel very comfortable within the team. They feel they are wanted and have the backing of the entire team."
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
Teamwork gives India a headstart
Dengan url
http://bijikacang.blogspot.com/2014/07/teamwork-gives-india-headstart.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
Teamwork gives India a headstart
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
Teamwork gives India a headstart
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar