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The Oval Test - due to start tomorrow - will be a crucial one on two counts. One is at an individual level; Sachin Tendulkar appears in his 100th Test, the youngest to notch up that unique feat. At the team level, the match represents a fine chance for India to win a Test series abroad. The psychological upper hand must belong to India at the moment. After their momentous comeback win at Headingley, India have put the pressure right back on England. The mediocre home bowling attack was showed up for what it really is, and if India's batting manages to collectively fire just as it did at Headingley, England will have a real fight on their hands. In such a situation, then, India should be as aggressive as possible, refusing to let England even get a single foot in the door. Sourav Ganguly should go with his gut feelings on field placements, putting the English batsmen under as much pressure as possible right from the word Go. The English middle-order looks brittle, although it must be admitted that the return of Marcus Trescothick from injury may make a difference. Still, it has been some time since Trescothick played top-level cricket, and it will not be easy for him to get back into touch speedily. India also have the advantage of a favourable pitch, not something they can look forward to often overseas. The Oval track is known to favour spinners, and if we look back, India's first series win in England was sealed at that very ground in 1971. Then, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar took six wickets in England's second innings to hasten their demise and trigger off wild celebrations in India. Hopefully, then, Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh can ape their illustrious predecessor's feat and bowl in tandem with the same success as they did at Leeds. But the job should definitely not be left solely up to them; just like Headingley, all the bowlers need to get into the act - Zaheer Khan, Ajit Agarkar and Sanjay Bangar. The Indians are thus in the correct frame of mind going into a deciding Test, and off-field events have ensured that they have an added sense of unity as well. If they can seal a win at The Oval, it will be the perfect tonic in a year that is crowded with international commitments. © CricInfo |
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