England and India begin their Test series next week at Lord’s, but there will be an early taste of what’s on offer when the tourists play their three-day match against Somerset. And that’s not just because it will be a chance to see MS Dhoni’s team, but because it is set to be round one of Andrew Strauss versus Zaheer Khan. The India bandwagon has reached England and it has brought with it a familiar face. Duncan Fletcher left the England coaching job after the 2007 World Cup, which began a turbulent time for the team, and now returns to try and plot their downfall and sustain India’s grip on the No. 1 ranking in Tests.
India begins tour wary of England pacers, England aiming No.1 spot
MS Dhoni admits he is wary of England’s bowling attack but says India will be treating their much-anticipated forthcoming Test series just like any other. The Indian captain cool hopes to ensure they do the basics right and feels although they will miss opener Virender Sehwag for at least the first Test, it will be an opportunity for younger players to gain international Test match experience.
India plays their three-day match against Somerset which features Andrew Strauss. Strauss’s form – and his performance against Zaheer – is just one of many potential themes that will emerge over the next five weeks, which is what makes for such an enticing prospect. It was confirmed on Thursday that if England win the series by two clear Tests they will overtake India and secure the No. 1 spot for the first time. It has been the stated ambition of the Strauss-Flower regime to propel England to the top but now that it’s within touching distance the captain doesn’t want minds to wander away from the smaller goal of each Test match.
India are set to be without Virender Sehwag for the first two Tests against England and there is still no definite timetable for his return following the shoulder surgery that ruled him out of the West Indies tour. It had already been announced that Sehwag will be joining the tour two weeks late after being given extra time to recover at home. On the recent tour of West Indies, India had an entirely new opening combination with Gautam Gambhir also missing out with an injury. Abhinav Mukund partnered Murali Vijay for the three matches and did enough to secure a berth to England having made 147 runs at in six innings.
And if India plays well enough to repeat their series victory from 2007 Fletcher might even manage a smile.
Tags: Cricket, England, India, MS Dhoni, Test Match, Test Series, Tests, Virender Sehwag
