England vs India 2014: Can the upcoming ODI series resurrect the Indian team?

MS Dhoni will want to draw inspiration from the Champions Trophy triumph last year

On at least three occasions, I began a detailed post-mortem of India’s Test misadventure in England 2014, which started off as a bike ride with a deflated tire, then hit a smooth highway, before falling off a cliff, not directly below, but in slow, painful installments.

Couple of reasons stopped me; firstly, the series had already been mercilessly dissected by scores of authors, be it professionals or aspiring bloggers, like yours truly. Secondly, through all the pessimism, I wondered if there was any scope for light at the end of the tunnel, and decided that penning down the potential points of positivity would any day be a better option than flogging a dead horse.

Flat and slow pitches, at least for the first 2 ODIs

This, if true, will be like music to the ears of both the Indian cricket team and the Indian cricket fan; the source for this optimism is a tweet by David Lloyd, former English cricketer and current commentator, which stated, “First 2 pitches in ODI's perfect for India ...flat and slow ...”.

So if we assume away a case of intentional false information feeding, this is very good news. There is absolutely no doubt that the very batsmen who were floundering like novices in seaming conditions over the past month, will suddenly transform into super humans on flat pitches. This is India’s best opportunity of muscling their way to a 2-0 lead, which in a 5 match series, can be substantial.

The Dhoni factor

If ever the classic tale of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is rewritten in a cricketing backdrop, MS Dhoni’s split personality between Test captaincy and ODI captaincy will be a popular choice. While he has been lambasted from all corners for uninspiring, negative, unimaginative (the list of adjectives can continue piling up) captaincy in Test cricket, he is hailed as one of the shrewdest captains in limited overs cricket, be it international ODIs and T20s, or making Chennai Super Kings the most consistent franchise in the IPL.

Given his immense mental strength, it is unlikely that the Test walloping will impact him in the ODIs. India can count on his completely different mindset and his unquestionable skills as a finisher to leverage an advantage in the ODI series.

The return of Raina and the inclusion of uncapped players

Suresh Raina, one of the most underrated players in ODIs, could just be the difference in the dressing room. His positive attitude, which is very much reminiscent of Virender Sehwag, could help erasing the painful memories of the Test defeat. While I am not lamenting his non-inclusion in the Test side (he has got opportunities, but was unfortunately not able to consistently deliver), the need of the hour is a batsman who goes about his batting with zero negativities.

Given the mauling received by most of India’s top order during Tests (many of whom are also in the ODI squad), the responsibility of infusing life into the team at the onset of the series may well lie on Raina, in the company of Dhoni.

The inclusion of Sanju Samson and Karn Sharma, fresh from their domineering performance Down Under with the India A squad, is yet another positive to look out for. Sanju Samson has been brilliant and exceptionally consistent, having scored 244 runs in 7 innings at an average of 81.33 in the recently concluded Quadrangular ‘A’ tournament which India won. Karn also performed well in the limited opportunities he got during the tournament.

More than their talent, it will be the confidence these two will bring in, having won several games in the quadrangular after being down and out, including the final, which will be a key differentiator in a side which is depleted in terms of confidence. If required, Sanju can don the big gloves, given that Dhoni’s wicketkeeping form really dipped towards the latter part of the Test series, and with all-rounder Karn breathing down their necks, Ashwin and Jadeja cannot afford to be complacent.

Inspiration from Champions Trophy 2013

The 2013 Champions Trophy held in England and Wales just about a year back, is perhaps the strongest evidence in recent times to illustrate that India can be competitive, and in that particular case, dominating, in alien conditions, when it comes to ODI cricket. In conditions where Indian batsmen seemed unable to put bat on ball during the 2014 Test series, India thrashed most opposition into submission, albeit on friendlier pitches, which can be expected for this ODI series as well. The only challenge coming from hosts England in the final, which India successfully quelled.

The fact that many of the members of that squad are present in the current squad should ensure that belief is not in short measure. To conclude, most of the points I have hit upon, focus is not on physical attributes, but on the mental strength and positivity required to haul India out of the abysmal mess they are currently in.

As world champions (in domestic conditions) and Champions Trophy winners (in foreign conditions), the current Indian ODI team does not have to prove its mettle, and neither should the ‘failures abroad’ tagline be continued with, especially in limited overs. The need of the hour is belief in one’s ability, and a strong dose of positivity; given the Indian audiences’ short term memory, a strong performance in the ODI series can go a long way in erasing the Test ignominy.