Author: Bobji

The Indian Asia Cup team was announced and it was more or less along the expected lines. Kohli and Rahul have returned and there is no room some players who have proved quite good in the recent past. All in all, the selectors would not have deliberated for too long to pick the squad. This blog is about the Indian Asia Cup team review.

Kohli is back and rightly so

There have been calls recently, more famously from Kapil Dev & Sehwag that Kohli be dropped from the T20 squad. Be that as it may, but Kohli unless and until he himself asks for a long break from the game, it is nonsense to drop him from any team. He is an excellent batsman and has proved that in every condition. Unfortunately, he is going through a lean patch and every support must be extended to him to come out of it. One is not sure whether he will play the usual pivotal innings in the Asia Cup but it is time other batsmen rally around Kohli and support him during the struggle. Having said that, Kohli may just play against certain teams that do not have the firepower. It just may help him regain form.

Only three fast bowlers

The surprising fact is that there are only 3 fast bowlers. In the absence of Bumrah, Kumar is the only fast bowler with experience. The others, Avesh Khan and Arshdeep Singh are inexperienced with hardly a few games between them. The only thinking behind this must be the fact that the pitches in UAE will hardly have anything for the fast bowlers. However, if the fast bowlers are able to mix it up with slower ones and bouncers, they will also have a role to play.

Rahul is back in the team

Rahul as expected is back in the team and one can only assume that he will open the innings with Rohit. It is a mistake that the Indian team keeps repeating. Rahul is not an opener as I have often said. He will be really good in the middle order.

Why make Rahul the vice-captain?

Rahul has often proved that he is not captaincy material. In 4 attempts, he did not manage to win a single game for India and his multiple failures as captain of Punjab in IPL, has categorically proved that he is not a good captain. Why is that the selectors goes back to him every time is beyond me? Considering Rohit’s poor fitness, he will once again become the captain whenever Rohit is injured. This I am afraid is extremely poor planning.

Why is Ashwin back in the team?

I really does not make much sense to keep picking Ashwin in the T20 squad. Yes, the pitches will assist spinners but in Jadeja, Bishnoi & Chahal, the spin department is more than adequately taken care of. So, what is the need for Ashwin? Agreed, that both Bishnoi and Chahal are absolute mugs with the bat and if the team needs a spinner who can bat, Ashwin fits the bill. The point to note is that, will Ashwin be in the team to fly to Australia? The answer I think will be no. Unless he plays and performs exceptionally well that makes it impossible for the selectors to drop him. However, I do think that it is wrong to give him false hope that his T20 career is back on track.

The inexperience of Arshdeep & Avesh

Shami would have fitted the bill in the absence of Bumrah. The problem is his strike rate and economy rate in T20 is too high. Arshdeep is quite promising with his change of pace and Avesh Khan has pace but will their inexperience, especially when playing Pakistan come to the fore?

The opening conundrum

Rahul is back. It is safe to assume that he is considered as the opener with Rohit. It is not just the fact that Rahul is not an opener but the opposition that must decide the opening combination. India’s main opposition is likely to be Pakistan with the other teams unlikely to offer stiff competition. Shaheen Afridi and Harris Rauf are the main threat. How the Indian batsmen fare against these bowlers will decide the winner. Rohit is traditionally known to struggle against left-arm quicks and Rahul will not bat any better. It is better to counter the threat of Afridi with a left-hander. Pant is the only batsman who will be scared of Afridi and will take him on from the first over. It is better to open the batting with Pant and Rohit with Rahul at lower middle order.

Under the circumstances, it really is a pity that the selectors weren’t able to find a spot for Ishan Kishan. A left-handed opening bat would have been the perfect anti-thesis for Afridi.

The other threat is the slower balls of Rauf. India I do not think have an answer for those.

Will Karthik make the cut?

The only spot that Karthik can get through is if the team decides to go in with 4 middle order batsmen with Pant opening the innings. Otherwise, I do not see a way in for Karthik.

Wrapping up the Indian Asia Cup team

The selectors have almost all the bases covered. It is tough luck on the part of Ishan and Sanju to not be in the squad. Their chance will come and until then, they will have to remain patient. I can only hope that the selectors have told the team management that they do not see Rahul as an opener and he must not be considered for that role. The Indian supporter do not want to see a repeat of the World T20 2021 when Rahul and Rohit struggled to get the ball over the square. India needs flamboyance at the top and they need that against Pakistan whom they will likely face in the finals. As for Shreyas, I am afraid he has been found out at the international level already. His road ahead is tough.

In this blog, I would like to reminiscence about two contrasting cricketers. One whose stocks have risen drastically following his exploits in IPL whereas the other whose stocks have declined rather sadly due to injuries. They both are good and deserve to be part of the various Indian teams. Both are above 30 with not a lot of time left in their hands to make up for lost time. The emergence of SKY and the case of Bhuvneshwar.

Surya Yadav is a late bloomer. Up until a few years ago, no one knew who Surya was. He is playing for Mumbai and one hasn’t heard anything extraordinary from him. We all heard about the likes of Prithvi Shaw, Shreyas Iyer, Sarfaraz Khan but Surya was never in the radar. He hasn’t hard a stellar first class career either averaging in the 40s. In Ranji Trophy, if you are averaging below 50, it is as good as you aren’t that good enough to represent the country.  Things began to change for Surya and change for the better.

It was not until his second coming for Mumbai Indians, that his fortune began to shift. Ever since, he has aggregated atleast 300 runs in every IPL season. Around the sametime, his number for Mumbai in T20 cricket also began to shine through. Another impressive aspect of his T20 batting is his strike rate. Upwards of 150 in most of the innings he has played. This despite the fact that he was not considered a certainty in the Indian squad and has batted as an opener till number 5 in the order.

Most versatile Indian batsman in T20

He has now emerged as the most important Indian batsman in the shortest format. The consistency that he has shown is incredible. The array of strokes if breathtaking. He effortlessly shifts gears, seemingly looking to defend the ball but actually eyeing the fine-leg or cow-corner. The knock at Nottingham was really fantastic. Chasing over 200 with the team at 13/2, he scored a scintillating hundred when the other batsmen could not manage more than 28. The calmness that Surya showcases at the crease must be seen to be believed. He always thinks that he can win a game of his own. That is calmness and confidence bundled together.

The number 2 ranked batsman in T20

Cricket rankings are not fool-proof. Nonetheless, is such a short span, he is within striking distance of becoming the number one T20 batsman. He must be able to achieve that ranking within the next few months. An in-form Surya in the middle and a maverick at that, the Indian team will be much tougher team at the T20 World Cup.

Surya in ODIs

Surya is here to stay as one of the top 4 Indian batsman in T20. However, it is his ODI spot that will be under scrutiny. Does he have the game to succeed in ODI? He sure does. Does he have the ability to play a long innings in ODI? He sure does. Why hasn’t he been that successful so far? That is a difficult question to answer.  Though it has only been 13 games, the low scores in of them will what worry the Indian selectors. If only he could transfer his T20 game to ODI, he will solve one long standing Indian problem of the ideal number 4.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar

The short career of Kumar is both tragic and sweet. Kumar replaced his mentor Praveen Kumar in the Indian team and it sort of became like-for-like replacement. He started his career as an out and out swing bowler. Brilliant with the new ball but was perceived to lack effectiveness as soon as the ball gets old. On that ill-fated tour of England in 2014, where the Indian team were again humiliated 1-3, Kumar was a revelation.

19 wickets including a couple of 5-fers. It wasn’t spectacular but it was good return. The English batsmen were contend to see off Kumar and pick runs of the other bowlers. He could swing the ball both ways which kept the English batsmen in check. It was swing bowling of the highest class.

The perception did not help

It did not help Kumar during the Kohli & Shastri era that he was perceived as someone who could pick up wickets when the conditions suited him. It was an unfair assessment. In a stop-start career, he has taken his wickets at about 26 which for an Indian seamer is incredible.

Kumar’s other problem was his fitness. He missed a lot of games because of that. On the 2018 tour of England, it wasn’t the absence of Bumrah that was keenly felt but it was the absence of Kumar for the entire tour, that hampered India. The series was much closer than the 1-4 scoreline suggests because the Tests were played on seaming pitches with help from overcast conditions throughout. Maybe, just maybe, Kumar would have helped India win the series. It is hard to believe that it was barely 4 years ago, he made South Africans dance to his tune in the Cape Town game with an opening burst of 3 wickets. The skill that Kumar exhibited on that day, will make any top bowler appreciate.

Kumar in the short formats

Around the middle of 2015, he added a bit of pace to his bowling thereby bolstering his arsenal. Pace with swing is a difficult proposition for any batsman to negotiate. He became an excellent white-ball bowler. Now, it does not matter what the pitch conditions are, Kumar is a certainty in ODIs and T20s. His stock has certainly risen but unfortunately, Kumar the Test bowler, seems to be lost forever.

The emergence of a young crop of bowlers like Prasidh Krishna, Saini, Arshdeep, Avesh Khan, Umran Malik and a few others alongwith Bumrah and Shami means that Kumar may have already played his last test. It is really unfortunate that a bowler who could have won few more games, will be lost to the game of Test cricket forever.

I read an interesting article in www.wisden.com which basically implored Kohli from not touring Zimbabwe. The author reckoned that Kohli must have toured Zimbabwe to regain his form. Could the author be correct? Should Kohli must have toured Zimbabwe? Would it help Kohli to regain his top form?

I have always advocated Kohli to take a long break even if that means missing the T20 World Cup and a few Test matches. I am among those who thought that a break will do him and the Indian team a great deal of favour and he will be back to his best by playing a few Ranji Trophy games for Delhi. There are no two ways to look at it but Kohli is under tremendous pressure. He has had a difficult year with World T20 loss followed by the loss in South Africa when everyone, including the South Africans expected India to win the series. He was stripped off captaincy from all the formats and Kohli became just another player. On top of all, former captains openly asked the board to drop Kohli.

His troubles were compounded because of lack of runs. He is averaging below 30 in Tests over 3 years and is yet to score a hundred in any format for over 3 years. For the first time, Kohli’s test average is below 50. It has not been easy for Kohli at all.

Zimbabwe is not a strong team by any yardstick

It is under such circumstances, Wisden’s author wanted Kohli to tour Zimbabwe. If you think about it, Kohli could have toured Zimbabwe. No offense but Zimbabwe is not a team that belongs to the top league. They do not belong to the mid-rung teams either. They would have offered Kohli some easy pickings. In hindsight, perhaps, Kohli must have toured. This is a golden opportunity. Perhaps, he would have scored the much needed hundred and thereby lessening the pressure. 3 ODIs and Kohli would have had ample amount of time. The bowling of Zimbabwe will hardly threaten him.

On the otherhand, there is also the question of what if he played and failed? That would have been a disaster. Kohli unable to score runs against Zimbabwe would have sent his confidence to the rock bottom if it is not there already. However, it is a chance Kohli must have taken. If these games had been T20, Kohli skipping the tour is understandable because he is increasingly being found out in the shortest format. ODI would have given him the time that he needs.

Tendulkar’s example

Kohli did not have to look anywhere else for confirmation. Tendulkar, when the pressure of 100^th hundred was unbearable for him, played slowly against Bangladesh to score that elusive ton. It is another story that India lost that game because of Tendulkar’s exceptionally slow batting but the pressure was off his shoulders.

Wrapping up should Kohli must have toured Zimbabwe?

It certainly is a missed opportunity for Kohli. Whether he will rue later on, remains to be seen.

If I were a West Indian selector or if I am the captain of West Indies, I will be worried, really worried that the West Indian team managed to lose a series 0-3 to an Indian team who were devoid of most of their first choice players. West Indies are not the same anymore. They lost their aura a longtime ago and are struggling to replace their quality players. Nevertheless, India are not complaining because they absolutely dominated the ODI series with some really good performances.

Shubnam Gill’s outstanding form

Gill’s performance through the games shone brightly. Here is a highly talented batsman who announced himself quite so spectacularly in Australia and who went off the radar for awhile, has comeback quite strongly and if not for bad luck because of the weather, would have gone onto to record his first international century. Gill has suddenly propelled himself into a strong position and if either Dhawan or Rohit is injured, he is likely to be drafted in as the backup opener.

He is a batsman who has lots of time to play his shots. Those crisp cover drives and the brilliant horizontal bat shots, there is no doubt about his talent. He does not have any weakness. He can play fast bowling and spinners equally well. With Gill at the top, India never felt the void left behind by Rohit. At just 23, he will get abundant chances to make a permanent name for himself. He could well be the next big Indian batsman.

The batting of Axar Patel

64 of 35 deliveries and that too, in a match winning cause. This is stuff of all dreams for all the players. To play a match winning innings. When Axar walked to the wicket, India were in dire straits. There was no way India could win that game. His shots were crisp and was hit with lot of power. Axar himself would have been surprised by his innings. He would have expected to win a game with the ball but to do so with the bat will increase his confidence many times. Sundar and Ashwin has a competition in Axar. Let us see how far does he go.

Prasidh Krishna

He is tall and has pace. His deliveries bounces and thereby catches the batsman off-guard. He also all the attributes of a classic fast bowler and yet, he is lacking in consistency. These are early days and ODI is not the format to judge a fast bowler but Krishna has potential and he needs to play as many games as possible for him to improve.

The major disappointment

The major disappointment was Shikhar Dhawan. He is still in the 1990s mode. He takes way too many deliveries upfront to settle himself. The game has completely changed and under Rohit and Dravid, India is aiming to change the way the bat. Especially, in the first 10 overs. It is onething to plan for such a change and it is another to have the personnel to effect those changes. At the moment, Dhawan is falling short. The 3^rd game was the worst of the lot. A strike rate of 41 in ODI is simply unforgivable these days. His innings was a major reason for India to feel the pressure later on.

Ajay Jadeja was severely critical of Dhawan

“India moved on to KL Rahul and some of the younger players. Then suddenly he (Dhawan) was made the captain of the Sri Lanka tour last year. Then again he was left out, then was taken to England. So what are they thinking? And if he is part of India’s thought process, then captain Rohit Sharma said that we will play an aggressive brand of cricket. He is definitely not part of it,” said Jadeja.

There was a time when Dhawan was part of all the formats for India. He was dropped from the Test squad and later from T20 too. ODI is the only format that he plays and if he is not able to contribute towards team’s objectives, perhaps it is time to let him go.

Surya Yadav’s poor returns

The other disappointment was Surya Yadav. Three poor scores in 3 games and that too batting at number 4, a whole lot more was expected from Surya but he has so far failed to live upto expectations. He is already above 30 and it is important for him to make every opportunity count. Once Rahul returns, it is difficult to see Surya playing ahead of him. He sure is talented with a range of shots that defies conventional batting. Perhaps, he gets out in trying to manufacture a shot rather than just treating the delivery on its merit.

What about West Indies?

West Indies have a long way to catch up to the top nations. They just don’t seem to find the personnel. The do have some bowlers with decent pace but the batsmen are a major let-down. Over the years, so many have played for the West Indies that it is really difficult to point a single excellent batsman over the last 20 years. Unless they can find 4-5 good batsmen, West Indies will never be able to challenge the might of India or Australia or South Africa. They will have to remain happy with wins against the middle and lower ranked teams. The current Indian team is literally their D squad and yet West Indies did not manage to win a single game.

Gone are the days when a West Indian team demanded a full-fledged tour but now they are an afterthought.

Wrapping up a good outing for India in West Indies

There is no doubt about the bench-strength that India possess. The Indian board will have to ensure that this strength is utilised properly by constantly making them play against the lower ranked teams. It will ensure that they remain not only fit but they remain match-fit and more importantly, it will give them a feeling of having represented the country.

It is by now a well established fact that Kohli is struggling. Things would not have been blown out of proportion if not for Kohli’s extraordinary run making skill during his career. Now, everyone have started to advise Kohli about what he must and must not do. Ofcourse, all of them with good intention of seeing a great batsman come back to form and resume his incredible scoring. Kohli has few more years to contribute to the Indian team. We have certainly not seen the last of him. I expect him to start scoring runs and if he starts that in the T20 World Cup, it is all the more better. Let me analyse Gavaskar’s offer to help and Ganguly’s comments. I will also analyse Ashwin’s comment about switching off the TV.

Kohli is a modern day great. There is no doubt on that front. He has proved against every opposition and in all the conditions. That is exactly the reason it is tough and see such a great player go through the struggle that he is going through. As an Indian supporter, it is all the more perplexing. How is that someone of Kohli’s calibre is finding hard to score runs? Every player goes through such a phase and they come out of it. Kohli will also do the same but the question is from when? His authoritative presence is very much required by the Indian team. A lot of former players have offered to help Kohli. One was Sunil Gavaskar.

Sunil Gavaskar wants to spend 20 minutes

When it comes to batting against the best of bowling, you do not have to look beyond Sunil Gavaskar. The runs he scored against the ferocious West Indies attack is a testimony to that fact. He has offered to help Kohli.

“If I had about 20 minutes with him, I would be able to tell him the things he might have to do,” Gavaskar said. “It might help him, I am not saying it will help him, but it could, particularly with regards to that off-stump line.”

Coming from someone of his calibre, one would expect Kohli to jump at the opportunity. However, the point is that, it has been more than 30 years since Gavaskar played the game. Ofcourse, he has been in touch with the game ever since through his commentary stint but I think that he lacks exposure towards the modern game. Besides, Kohli will already be discussing his problems with De Villiers or Shastri or Dravid, someone who has played in the modern era. I doubt whether Kohli will consult with Gavaskar, afterall, too many cooks spoils the broth. Perhaps, he must listen to his childhood coach for advise.

Ganguly’s advise for Kohli

The current board president, Saurav Ganguly, has offered his own advise for Kohli.

Yes, he has had a tough time and he knows that. He has been a great player himself. He himself knows by his own standards it has not been good and I see him coming back and doing well. But he has got to find his way and become successful, which he has been for the last 12-13 years or more and only Virat Kohli can do that, ” said BCCI President Sourav Ganguly

If you think about it, it does make sense. Outside help can be sought but it depends on the player to find a way. One might want him leave some deliveries while the other may want him to try to score of the same delivery etc. Too many advise will only spoil Kohli’s thought process. He is welcome to take them in but he must find an effective way to come out of the current rut.

Kapil Dev’s distasteful comment

On the otherhand, there have been some distasteful comment from the former captain, Kapil Dev. It is so sad to see Kapil of all the players say such things.

‘Yes, now the situation is such that you might be forced to bench Kohli from T20 playing eleven. If world No. 2 bowler Ashwin can be dropped from Test side then (once upon a time) world No. 1 batter can also be dropped,” Kapil told ABP News.

I have to say this at this moment. First, dropping Ashwin and dropping Kohli are completely different things. Kohli has proved everywhere whereas Ashwin hasn’t. Be that as it may but Kapil Dev must not be calling for Kohli to be dropped when Kohli is struggling. Kapil Dev was a complete team player during the earlier and middle part of his career but he played the last 3 years for entirely wrong reasons. The world record. He played instead of Srinath who was denied chances while he was coming up. Yet, the whole country willed him to achieve the record. Kapil will do well to remember this phase of his career.

Ashwin’s lament

“I’m an absolute cricket badger, a nut, and I switch off the telly after a point of time, watching the one-day game. I think one ball [per innings] is something that would work and even the spinners would come into play.”

Ashwin is a bit of an out of the box thinker. Be it his views about Mankading or his views about reverse sweep, he says things that others just do not know or do not want to comment. He often does or says things that the administrators would not want to listen or at the best, they look the other way.

He wasn’t off the mark in his view about switching off the TV during an ODI. With the advent of 2 new balls, the shorter boundaries and various other batsmen friendly rules, ODI have become an extension of T20. Spinners are not able to grip the ball properly and there is absolutely no scope for reverse swing. Already, the rules in white-ball is pretty harsh on the bowlers. Anything down the leg, even marginally, is called a wide. On top of that, the two new balls is virtually killing bowling. It is no wonder that nowadays, any score less than 300 is not considered a fighting score. It is just a miracle that bowlers still find ways around these harsh rules.

Wrapping up Gavaskar’s offer to help Kohli and Ganguly’s comments

While Gavaskar has nothing but the interest of Kohli on his mind, it depends on Kohli to decide from whom should he sought help. As for Ashwin, it is time to go back to the one-ball per innings rule.

Other Kohli related topics

Shastri’s advise

Form of Kohli

Kohli’s legacy

Kohli’s ego

Ashwin’s saga

Kohli’s captaincy

After the depressing loss in the final test at Edgbaston, even the die-hard fan would not have envisaged the outcome of the limited overs series. Especially, when you consider the fact that England are the trendsetters in this format at the moment and to have won against such a team twice, is a creditable achievement. However, despite the win, there is still some troublesome spots for India white ball cricket. What did we learn about India after the England tour?

A pair of 2-1 wins in T20s and later in ODIs against England in England is an exceptional achievement. In T20, India sewn up the series even before it moved to the 3^rd T20 which by the way, with a bit of support, Surya would have won. In ODI, it went upto the last game to decide the series winners.

Bowlers had a role to play

This series was unlike any that was witnessed in England over the last several years. Scores in the range of 350 was quite common. In keeping with England’s belligerent approach, pitches helped stroke making and the batsmen were able to hit through the line. It was in England where England bumped up a score of 484 and that too against a good Australian bowling. However, this series proved to be the anti-thesis of all the games that went by earlier. Leave alone 350, even 300 proved to be difficult to achieve. Whether it was because of the pitch or because of some good bowling from both the sides, is open to interpretation.

The point is, if this is how ODI and T20 games are to be played in the future, it really is a welcome change. Far too long, bowlers were not required to do anything other than run and hurl the ball. If other countries can follow England, white ball cricket will return to the saner days of 80s and 90s.

Hardik Pandya’s performances were the real gain

The highlight of the entire series was the form of Hardik Pandya. He played a stellar role with the bat and with the ball. The fact that he was able to bowl his quota of overs was something that was very much needed for the balance of the side. When in song, there are just a handful of clean hitters like Pandya. In the final ODI, he showed the other side of his batting ability when he alongwith Pant fashioned a famous win with a big partnership after the big guns were dismissed. Previous Indian teams would have easily given up much earlier. If Pandya can remain injury free, he can even comeback into the Indian test team as the expense of Shardul.

Now, that will be one excellent addition with the batting extending right till the tail. It all depends on whether Pandya wants to play Test cricket. I still remember his interview all those years ago when he said that he wanted to be the Indian Kallis. Tall claims by someone who was just starting his career. Is he retaining the same passion? Test cricket is much tougher. He will be required to bowl lot more overs and at decent pace. Let us hope for the sake of Indian cricket that he wants to contribute and even if he achieves half of what Kallis has, he would have served Indian cricket well.

Rishabh Pant is not a middle order batsman

I have said this earlier and I will say this again. Pant is not a number 4 batsman. Yes, he has just played a match-winning innings with a brilliant hundred. He restrained himself well and paced his innings beautifully. However, I will still not play him at number 4. He can be really good at number 6 where all he needs to do is play shots. With an able batsman in Surya Yadav, I do not think there is any necessity for Pant to be promoted. Kohli and Shastri did this mistake. Rohit and Dravid are continuing with the same. This is as far is ODI is concerned.

As for T20, with the abundant talent, I do not think that Pant should bat any higher than number 6. That is, if at all he is included in the side at the expense of Ishan Kishan or the perennial comeback man, Dinesh Karthik.

Indian batting in ODI

Indian batting, especially in ODI, is suddenly looking shaky. It showed in the 2^nd ODI when they failed to chase a modest target. Ofcourse, they chased a bigger target in the 3^rd ODI but that was down to a pair of excellent innings. With Rohit Sharma, Dhawan and Kohli not hitting their strides as often as it is ideally required, the middle order was exposed. All of them are quality batsmen in ODIs. They still remain that but against stiffer targets, if the top three fails to give a good start, it will not be easy for the rest of the batsman. Surya is relatively inexperienced at the highest level and the middle order is packed with all-rounders.

Moreover, the bottom four does not inspire any confidence whatsoever with the bat which makes the job of the middle-order even more tough. India needs a good bowler who will be able to hold with the bat. Kumar is the obvious choice or the batting abilities of Bumrah and Shami, if any, he must explored even further.

The struggle of the top 3 and the pathetic batting of the bottom 4 essentially means that India will never be in a position to play aggressively right from the start. It is very much the norm these days.

The Ravindra Jadeja conundrum

Jadeja played the entire series as a specialist batsman. It was pretty obvious. He was the 6^th choice bowler in all the games and did not even get to bowl in the first ODI. Having said that, it was really a mystery to see him walk-in after Pant and Pandya. If I were in his shoes, I will feel aggrieved. Being a batsman, I would have expected to bat in the top 5 rather than the bottom 5. He is actually wasted at low down the order. In the 2^nd and 3^rd ODIs, he could have brought some stability at the top of the order from where it could have been easier for Pant and Pandya.

Wrapping up what did we learn about India after the England tour?

There is lot of work needs to be done before the T20 and ODI World Cups. The form of the top order is a major concern with Kohli being the key.

Other England tour related blogs

India’s approach

Top and middle order let the team down 1, 2 & 3