India Vs England: Its not over until Sehwag says its over

India did not lose first two tests of the series since 1974, but it has happened again in England now. 2 humiliating defeats, a team struggling with injuries, a captain on the verge of losing his first test series as a captain, a test side fighting desperately to take the top spot, its all happening but then its not over till its over. Hope is the one common thing that keeps every Indian going.

The series has 2 tests to go, and India definitely has a chance to hold onto its coveted status of being the no.1 test team. Yuvraj and Harbhajan are out of the series, that might have relieved Dhoni of doing the ignominious task of dropping the turbanator who had been drawing a lot of flak for his performances in recent times. With a 2 day practice game in between, India will again have a chance to check its options. I believe both Mishra and Ojha will be given a chance to prove their mettle, and even Kohli might get a chance as Raina’s vulnerability to short balls was exposed quite literally in the 2nd test.

Gambhir and Zaheer are expected to sit out of the practice game but they shall be fit for the 3rd test and Sehwag’s presence shall act as a shot of adrenaline for the Indian team. A lot is expected of him as far as those brisk and aggressive starts are concerned. He is one man who can disturb the rhythm of any bowler in the world, which has been missing from this Indian side so far. And with him leading the Indian bating line-up, it will not only affect team India’s performances on field but also will boost the low morale to some extent.

With both our regular openers at the top, shall give some breathing space to the whole Indian batting line up and finally the line up can be as it should be, with Dravid coming in at no.3 followed up by Tendulkar and Laxman. In the 2nd test, team management pushed Dravid up to open and asked Laxman to bat at no.3 to provide stability but that just left a big hole in the middle order supposedly to be filled by the trio of Yuvraj, Raina and Dhoni at which they just miserably failed. So it would be good to see the batting lineup in the proper order.

With Bhajji out, we can expect to see all 4 bowlers contributing and picking up some wickets hopefully; that shall reduce some pressure on the pace battery, which would be boosted by Zaheer’s comeback. This is as far as Indian line-up goes.

About the England team, well they shouldn’t have much of a problem choosing between Tremlett and Bresnan considering the latter’s contribution with both the ball and the bat. There are some speculations about the injuries sustained by Trott and Swann, and if any of these two are to miss the test it will be blow to England as big as Zaheer was to India.

So even after the dismal performance in the first two tests, I believe it is time India bounced back and for the first time in this series they will be walking into the ground with full strength. So you can definitely move your expectations up a bit.