England vs India 2014: Are the visitors ready for the challenge ahead?

Can MS Dhoni silence his critics by winning in foreign conditions?

This question has been hovering in the minds of Indian cricket fans and I believe it is only fair to provide a team review of the 18-member squad that very recently played its first practice game in Leicester.

Coming from a hectic season and a long and tiring IPL that was played in 2 countries, this Indian squad is ready to roar. While the seniors got close to 20 days of rest, the newcomers returned from Bangladesh only on the 20th. BCCI’s failure to give players rest is an old story and it’s absolutely hilarious how everyone has now eventually stopped complaining. On the brighter side, we can see this as an advantage because most members are not out of touch or rusty.

With a number of newbies finally getting a debut, it would be interesting to see how this new team settles in the difficult, rather new conditions of England.

The season started with a victory in a tri-series played with West Indies and Sri Lanka, followed by an unimportant series in Zimbabwe that gave the young Indian lads good exposure but not much challenge. Then was the crucial Australian series played on home soil. It proved to be advantageous as India managed to win 3 out of their 7 matches, letting Australia wining only 2 while rain played spoilsport in the rest.

Then in November, India once again played Test cricket after a considerable gap but that didn’t affect their on field performance as they managed to win both the Tests against the West Indies by an innings. This was followed by a 2-1 victory in the ODIs against the same opponents. To end the year, India showed disappointing performances in South Africa by not winning a single game.

The sad streak continued as the Indians even failed to win against a decent but not great New Zealand team. The Asia Cup was won by Sri Lanka and while entering the World T20 in March, the Indian team were not favourites. But Dhoni’s men have a habit to surprise and while the Indian media was busy focusing on match fixing and false allegations the young Indian side won all its group matches and it seemed like Dhoni was rewriting the 2007 victory again, just more glamorous this time.

All bets were on India on the 6th of April but the Lankans decided to take their 2011 revenge just 4 days after the 3rd anniversary of India’s 50 over WC glory. For the first time in the World Cup, the Indian batsmen ran out of shots and the match was pretty much over in the first innings for less optimistic Indians. Nevertheless, it would be wrong to forget India’s performance, which was absolutely stunning until the time it mattered the most.

The team announced by the selectors was exciting and I don’t think I am unhappy with even a single inclusion this time around as BCCI has adapted its old strategy to back good talent but at the same time open the door for youngsters. A lot depends on the fact whether the captain backs the team. Mahendra Singh Dhoni will be at his very best with this particular squad. The following is a preview of all the 18 players who were selected for this particular squad.

Led by the man himself, Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s experience as a leader and batsman would be crucial for the visiting team. Although his record in England is pretty messy, one should not forget that only last year India won the Champions Trophy (in England and Wales) under Mahi and a lot of players in the current team was part of the victorious Champions League squad.

Varun Aaron, this particular series would be a great platform for this young player to cement his spot in the Indian team. India’s pace attack has recently gained some respect especially because after Zaheer’s injuries and Pathan’s struggling form, the Indian pace attack looked like it was in trouble. This young lad who hails from Jamsehdpur has extensive talent but has not been able to capitalize opportunities as good as he would have liked to. In this tour, he would like to prove his critics wrong and hopefully show some magic with the ball.

Varun Aaron unsurprisingly has been selected for this tour. His talent as a newcomer was largely appreciated and he also made a good comeback after his injury. India’s pace attack has been through ups and downs and it’s surprising to see how well our youngsters have adapted to this transition period. However, Zak is the only one who knew the conditions in UK the best it would be interesting to see how this young bowling attack adjusts.

Ravichandaran Ashwin’s talent cannot be doubted and his contribution to the Indian cricket fraternity has been notable. It would be safe to say that this man made up for Harbhajan’s losing form. After serving the nation for so many years Harbhajan’s form started to deplete after the 2011 WC and Ashwin used this to his advantage and he can now proudly call himself India’s lead spinner in the current squad. He is MSD’s man and this gives him that extra push to perform well.

Stuart Binny’s recent performance in Bangladesh was probably the reason he was selected for the Indian team. He has had a good go in the IPL and if the management backs him enough to give him his first Test so early into his career there is nothing stopping him talents is not something that the Binny’s lack.

Shikhar Dhawan has been absolutely phenomenal in the last season and the moustache man’s rhythm is unbreakable. Lets hope he shows his true colours this time around and not let the pressure get to him.

Gautam Gambhir has been out of the Indian side for a while now but the decision to bring him back after the IPL and domestic success is backed by most Indian cricket fans. I think this decision by BCCI is risky but if the man gets going, England can only hope that Sehwag doesn’t return too!

Ravindra Jadeja is Dhoni’s most experienced all rounder. He has the ability to not only get those extra 30 runs in the end but also to surprise the batsmen with his spin. Good contribution in the practice games should ensure his spot in the playing 11.

Although Virat Kohli is more inclined towards the limited overs format critics have not yet writing him off as a Test player simply because of his consistency. He is not one of those T20 fluke players, his technique is renowned and therefore he would like to exploit the conditions in the United Kingdom.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s ability to lead the pace attack and provide help to the newbies will be one of the many of reasons of his inclusion in the bowling unit.

Ishwar Pandey is a lesser known player but his contribution to CSK has not only earned him a spot in the national team but he is also known to be one of Mahi’s favorites.

Cheteashwar Pujara has been criticized for being more of a Test player. In a generation where players like him are hard to find I don’t see why he should take this negatively. After all it takes a lot to be talented in the longest format of the game.

Ajinkya Rahane has got the skill to be a successful opener, he now needs to capitalize well on his opportunities.

Wriddhiman Saha’s current form has earned him a spot in the Test team. He has been in and out of the national side and one can only hope that he proves to be MS Dhoni’s back up keeping option for the long run mainly because that spot has been up for grabs since some time now.

Along with Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammad Shami would be a bowler that the Englishmen would want to look out for.

Ishant Sharma’s form has seen it all. Not a personal favourite, he would only hope that he something more than luck in store for him this time around.

Rohit Sharma has been a successful captain in the IPL and he would want to use the confidence he gained during the past few months. That opening spot is wanted by many and this man would want to call dibs.

Pankaj Singh is not exactly the youngest player in the team but he is the new boy around. With some help from the seniors he would look to perform, if selected.

Last and probably the least, Murali Vijay’s inclusion in this team makes everyone wonder as to what exactly BCCI was thinking. It’s not like MSD to drop players in the flip of an eye and that was probably the strategy behind including Vijay. This might as well be his last chance to prove his worth.

It would be a task for the captain and coach to choose the playing 11 from the 18 men of great talent. Stay tuned for the ideal playing eleven!