AFTER STARTING mission world cup in style by defeating Bangladesh, Team India has arrived in Bengaluru for their second match against England. The match is scheduled for February 27 at Chinnaswami stadium in Bengaluru. With a comfortable win against the co-hosts Bangladesh, Dhoni’s men will be high in confidence. The time gap between the two matches will help Indian players to rest and stay fit.
In the first match, Indian batsmen showed their power as they ruthlessly crushed the Bangladeshi bowlers. Sehwag and Kohli scored runs according to their reputation while Gambhir and Sachin looked in good touch before they got out. Although Sehwag's duration on the crease differed from that of his usual innings, his strategy of scoring singles and rotating strikes in the middle overs worked wonders for the team.
After getting the century, Sehwag again changed the gears and attacked. By this innings he proved that he can occupy the crease for a longer period of time. The best thing about a batsman like Sehwag is that as long as he is in the middle the runs keep flowing. Kohli through his hundred strengthened his position in the team which is not a good sign for Raina. Kohli’s batting was a treat to watch out for as some of his shots were outstanding. The worry India would have is that its current out of form batsman Yuvraj Singh wasn't tested.
England has a good bowling attack which will test the abilities of Indian batsman. Anderson can swing the ball and create problems for batsmen. Stuart Broad’s five wicket haul in the practice match is sufficient to speak masses about his skill. Graeme Swann has emerged as a fine spinner and will benefit from the pictches owing to the sub continent's cliamtic conditions.
A billion eyes will be closely watching Tendulkar's game. Kohli may get a lot of support at the Chinnaswami stadium as this is his second home ground. He knows the pitch better as he has the experience of playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore here. The key will be batting in the middle overs. Slower bowlers will be operating in these overs.
Although India won the match, one cannot ignore the fact that Bangladesh scored 283 runs in 50 overs. Bangladeshi batsmen highlighted the limitations of Indian bowlers. Zaheer failed to give early brake troughs but eventually bowled well.
Harbhajan was crafty and exploited the conditions well. Sreesanth was the biggest disappointment. With his skills Sreesanth should be a good option for any captain but his inability to control his bowling and his impatience makes him the weakest part of the bowling attack. If Sreesanth fails to improve then he may have sit outside. One thing which he has to understand is that temperament works more than talent in big matches.
Munaf Patel, the surprise package in the Indian squad is improving day by day as he bowled really well in the match to finish with 4 wickets. Munaf showed how to bowl on flat tracks. Speed doesn’t matter for him as he is now concerned more about his line and length. England has quality batsmen in the form of Strauss and Peterson.
Paul Collingwood and Ian Bell can change the game. Matt Prior, who has the ability of adding depth to the batting can prove to be dangerous. If Zaheer is able to get some early wickets then the middle order will be exposed. Harbhajan will have an important job as the English batsmen struggle against spin. It will be interesting to see how Kevin Pietersen handles Harbhajan. However. fielding still needs to be improved if Indians want to lift the trophy.
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