England v India 2014: Onus will be on Indian batsmen to set the tone for the series

Pujara and Kohli will be expected to lead the Indian batting charge

Team India and its strong batting line-up has never ceased to hog the limelight prior to an overseas Test series, and it’s no different this time around with less than 48 hours to go for the much anticipated 5-match Test series against England, starting 9 July at Trent Bridge, Nottingham. India have been prudent enough to arrive in the country a good fortnight prior to the real deal, as they have played a couple of warm-up games to acclimatize to the prevalent conditions, and be up and ready once the series kicks off.

In the two practice games that India played against Leicestershire and Derbyshire, the batsmen came up with the goods and stroked themselves to substantial scores in both the games.

Cheteshwar Pujara has made optimum use of these warm-up fixtures, helping himself to scores of 57 and 81 before getting ‘retired out’ to provide other batsmen time in the middle. Apart from Pujara, Shikhar Dhawan scored 60 in the 1st tour game before being injured, Virat Kohli scored 29 and 36 in the two innings he got to bat, Dhoni got 40 in the one innings he played, and Rohit Sharma scored an unbeaten 43 and 10 in both the games.

Ajinkya Rahane, the other Mumbai batsman, had a good outing with the bat in all the three innings he got to bat in. That should, in all probability, stand the Indian batting line-up in good stead when the 1st Test match kicks off day after tomorrow.

The need for the Indian openers to deliver:

Now, the main talking point when it comes to the Indian batting is its openers, Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan. We shouldn’t forget that Vijay had a good tour of South Africa, and, in addition to him making one big score of 97 in the second Test match at Durban, it was very heartening to see him spend time in the middle and smother the threat of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel with the new ball.

Dhawan, on the other hand, couldn’t quite spend time in the middle, and his propensity to go after deliveries outside the off-stump proved to be his undoing in both the Test matches.

But, when India toured New Zealand earlier this year, fortunes reversed for both the Indian openers. Dhawan had a prolific series as he scored a 115 in the first Test – an innings that nearly helped India chase down 407 to win the Test match - and then notched up a 98 in the first innings of the second Test match at the Basin Reserve.

This was, in many ways, a tour of reassurance for Dhawan, who was in serious doubt of coming up with the goods when it came to Test matches in overseas conditions. Vijay, though, failed to continue the good work he had done in South Africa.

Mind you, if the openers fall cheaply, then the pressure will mount on the shoulders of Pujara and Kohli to resurrect the sinking Indian ship, and you don’t want that to happen. The duo, once they get going, can garner runs at a good pace, and it can only be good for India that their No. 3 and No. 4 play without the pressure of having to set things right. Indian openers have to be the launch pad from where Team India marches forward.

Yes, without a shadow of a doubt, Kohli and Pujara will be the leading batsmen for India regardless of what the openers do, but then it’s better for the duo and the team that they don’t have that added pressure to live up to. Rohit Sharma remains a liability to me in foreign conditions, more so with his attitude and the lazy approach to batting. He can be loose outside his off stump, as well, and that’s why you feel it’s extremely important for the opening pair to get the team off to a safe start, which would mitigate the chances of the Indian batting crumbling deridingly.

Difference in conditions:

When it comes to the series in England, the main topic of conversation is that there will be far more sideways movement than what India encountered in South Africa and New Zealand, and that’s where the Indian batsmen will be put through a litmus test. Oft times in the past, the extreme faith kept in the Indian batting proved to be deceptive.

And, even during the days of the ‘Fabulous four’ facing the music in overseas tours for India, oppositions such as England and Australia still enjoyed success in their own backyard and made light work of the star-studded Indian batting line-up. That’s my fear prior to this Test series in England, as well. And that’s where, once again, the Indian batting might falter – which could prove to be a serious detriment to MS Dhoni’s ambitions of putting an end to the team’s overseas woes.

James Anderson and Co. will want to make sure that the Indian batting line-up feels the pinch and doesn’t get any freebies to kick start their tour of England. Anderson, in particular, is very adept at hitting the 4-6 metre mark on the pitch, and that’s a very dangerous length to encounter for even the best of batsman.

The Indian team management has done the sensible thing of seeking Rahul Dravid’ services as the batting consultant for the tour of England, and his input will hopefully make a difference for the first-timers, who are yet to play a Test match in England.

India’ batting can be put under the pump in overseas conditions, irrespective of the kind of form the batsmen are in prior to the series. And, if you are Dhoni or Duncan Fletcher, it’s the last thing you would want, to once again derail India from its ambitions of winning abroad. Yes, the bowling has to take 20 wickets to win a Test match; but when the Indian batting clicks and accumulates runs in the horizon of 350s and 400s, the bowling naturally has a distinct possibility of coming good and doing the needful.

To reiterate things, the onus will be on Indian batsmen to set the tone for the series.