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India's last Test series defeat at home came against England in the 2012-13 series. Monty Panesar, with 17 wickets, was one of the architects of that remarkable English win. Even in 2020-21, England promised as much with the Chennai triumph but ran out of steam and ideas as India tightened the screws.
For a touring side, winning in India is a highlight on their resume, and Monty Panesar is among the handful who can boast of the same. However, he knows the physical and mental grind that an India tour presents.
From the sidelines of the Road Safety World Series in Raipur, Monty Panesar spoke to Sportskeeda and highlighted some of his observations on England's defeat, including the lack of experience in the Jack Leach-led spin department.
Jack Leach has grown as a bowler: Monty Panesar
With 18 wickets at 28.72, Jack Leach emerged as England's most successful bowler in the recently-concluded Test series. But as a fellow left-arm spinner, Monty Panesar would have liked to see Jack Leach use the crease more along with bowling with more variations.
It was something even Sachin Tendulkar had suggested at the start of the Test series. Tendulkar observed that Leach doesn't vary his pace much and on turning tracks, that may favor the batters as they'll have more reaction time. He also remarked that Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann's key to success in 2012-13 was their pace variation.
With very little experience in these conditions, Leach shouldered the spin-attack, dishing out 161 overs, an average of 23 overs per innings – the most by any bowler in the series.
"I think Jack Leach has grown as a bowler in this tour," said Monty Panesar.
"He got better, and by the end of it, he seemed tired as well. His action is getting a lot better. He didn't really change his position at the crease, trajectory or speed. At times, he relied on the natural variation off the pitch. That allowed India to get back into the games as they knew that Leach would bowl with the same plan again and again. He needs to develop that to become a better bowler. Apart from that, he has done really well. He picked some big wickets, and he should be encouraged for that."
Jack Leach did have his moments, especially against India's robust no.3 Cheteshwar Pujara, whom he dismissed four times in the series.
In his column for Sky Sports, Jack Leach opened up on the challenges he faced on the India tour. He also stated that he will return to India better prepared.
"With Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann, it was the second series that they played in India that they won so I look at that, think about the experiences that I have had, the confidence that I have gained from it and I think it is very exciting, not only the prospect of coming back here at some stage but also the cricket that is to come back in the next few months and beyond," Leach wrote.
Dom Bess shouldn't be too harsh on himself: Monty Panesar
After a good Sri Lanka tour, off-spinner Dom Bess started well in Chennai and picked up a four-for in the first innings, including the prized scalp of Virat Kohli. His good showing was one of the reasons for England's win. However, caught in the web of the much-debated rotation policy, he went on to miss the subsequent two Tests.
Monty Panesar reckons Dom Bess will start afresh with his new county side Yorkshire and will only get better from here.
"Dom Bess started okay, but towards the end, he lost his action a little bit. He shouldn't be too harsh on himself because the tour of India can do that to you. He will return to Yorkshire and start fresh. The English conditions will help him develop. It's difficult to tour India. The wickets are slow, and the opponents play spin well. You have to have a very good action and tactically be at the top of your game. Jack Leach and Dom Bess tried their best, but that wasn't enough. They will get better with this experience," Monty Panesar added.
Spinners in the 2020-21 India-England Tests
We had the likes of Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen in 2012-13, now it was only Joe Root: Monty Panesar
Monty Panesar believes that some of England's spinners' ineffectiveness in sealing the Tests in India lay in the side's top-order struggles. He also argued that the 2012-13 England side was a much more experienced and accomplished side with good players of spin in Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen.
Highlighting the collective batting and spin department woes, Monty Panesar noted:
"This England Test team's top order isn't strong enough, especially against spin. They are very inexperienced expect for Joe Root. Even the spinners haven't really had an opportunity to understand how to bowl in these conditions. They are learning as they play. Therefore, it isn't easy to produce match-winning spells, and that's where England spinners lack. They still did well, but the batting didn't back up the good bowling show. Every time Joe Root fell, India thought they could bowl out England cheaply."
Only two England batsmen crossed the 200-run mark in the series.
England's highest run-getters in 2020-21 India-England Tests
In contrast, five Englishmen scored over 200 runs in the 2012-13 series, with Alastair Cook leading the charts with 562 runs and three centuries.
Alastair Cook, Kevin Pietersen, Jonathan Trott, Matt Prior and Ian Bell averaged over 40 in the series. Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar's experience banked on England's batting and they went on to bowl the visitors to famous wins in Mumbai and Kolkata.
"In 2012-13, we had Alastair Cook, an excellent opener. Like Matthew Hayden, Cook knew how to bat long and score big in these subcontinent conditions. Then we had Kevin Pietersen, who could score quickly. So, if you have batters who can bat long and then players who can come and take on the opposition, it's a good thing. Pietersen's 186 in Mumbai is one of the best knocks he has ever played.
"Then me and Graeme Swann could vary speeds. We understood our bowling. We had a very strong England side then. The current team is young and inexperienced. They are still learning, and maybe the next time, when this group tours India, they will compete better," said Monty Panesar.
England remain fourth in the ICC Test Rankings. They have a busy year ahead in Test cricket with home series against New Zealand and India before heading to Australia to reclaim the Ashes.
This year's grind of Test cricket should help Joe Root's men perform better in the next World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. As far as countering the subcontinent threat is concerned, England are scheduled to play Pakistan in an away series in 2022-23.
Monty Panesar, who is representing England Legends in the Road Safety World Series, avenged England's Test series loss against India by defeating Sachin Tendulkar-led India Legends on Tuesday.
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