5 reasons why the England tour is a blessing in disguise for Indian cricket

Can India exact sweet revenge at home?

India is starting its campaign for 2012-13 with a full series consisting of 4 Tests, 5 ODIs and 2 T20s. Here are five reasons why this will be one of the most important series for Indian cricket.

1.ITS ADVANTAGE INDIA:India is playing at home and England is not a great opponent in the sub-continent. So a few notches up in the rankings will definitely bode well for the team.

2. UNDERPERFORMING SENIORS:

Will he able to retain the captaincy after the tour?

The Indian test team is currently at a cross roads with lot of uncertainties. Underperforming seniors and a weak pace attack are major concerns. The seniors will definitely play first two tests and will be under pressure to perform. But at the same time,they are lucky enough to face an average opponent at home.Thereafter the “survival of the fittest” theory will be applied. The captaincy issue has become another headache as Dhoni is definitely not the same he was in Tests and T20. So, the England Series will have the answer to all these uncertainties.

3. NEW SELECTION PANEL:Team India has a fresh looking and new panel of selectors who are capable of pouring in new ideas. They don’t appear to be conservative but are looking to the future. Luckily for them, they had a long look into talent available. Furthermore, a long home series like this definitely help them to make necessary changes in the composition and build a team for the future. It will also help in smoothing the transition process which is long overdue.

4.END OF AN ERA:The end of England Series may very well be the end of a glorious era which included legends such as Sachin, Saurav, Dravid, Laxman, Sehwag, Kumble, Harbhajan and Zaheer. A fresh new batch of cricketers are on the fringes of the first team and may well become the new guard after the end of the series. They will be watched keenly on the overseas tours. To achieve that, a complete overhaul of support staff may become the need of the hour. Hope for unfolding of another golden era from 2013 onwards.

5.TRANSITION PROCESS:

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All the newbies, ODI stars and domestic stars will be knocking the doors of Indian test team. It’s time for them to convert their limited overs and domestic performances into test performances. Any player’s main aim is to represent their respective national Test side. This is right time for all the domestic superstars to grab this golden opportunity with both hands. The likes of Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara have already showed glimpses of what they can do in the future. Because of a pathetic show by the Indian openers and Sachin’s impending retirement, there are vacant spots up for grabs and many talented batsman will be fighting for it. The problem of plenty is a good problem to have. But we still are lagging behind in the fast bowling department. It’s never ending story of Indian cricket. Zaheer Khan‘s age is catching up and he is always injury prone. We can’t expect him to play for too many more years. Umesh Yadav is one hope but only time will tell whether he can be quality pace bowler or a passing cloud like all the other Indian fast bowlers.

Thus I feel the tour is extremely important from Indian point of view. Its a blessing in disguise. Its a pathfinder and will provide clear direction for the future.