With the third Test between India and England getting underway at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata from Wednesday, it will be a test of character for the home team.
The men in blue after decimating the visitors in the first Test match in Ahmadabad, surrendered rather meekly in the next match at Mumbai.
India’s win in the series opener prompted skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni to ask for rank-turners at the Wankhede, but the move back-fired as English batters spanked the spinners right throughout the match, while Indian batsmen were found wanting against the spin duo of Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar.
Even though results imply that England are at a better position that India, Dhoni still wants a turning track for this match. This led to widespread criticism and even the chief curator at Kolkata was sidelined by BCCI after he ran into differences with the Indian captain.
With things sorted and new curator assigned for the job, it is most certain that it will be one more spinner-friendly track.
Anticipation is on the rise for the match at the ‘Mecca of Indian Cricket’ and it will be significant battle to win for both the teams. The match not only would allow the teams to gain an upper-hand and but will also earn them the bragging rights.
India at the moment looks vulnerable and their ploy of out-playing India using the home conditions proved to be a futile exercise. It has been tagged as the retribution series for India but then hardly did things go India’s way in the last match.
Against everyone imagination, India’s famed batting line-up collapsed like nine pins, a rarity when they are playing at home. England shunned the conventional way of thinking barged through India in the match to earn everyone’s respect and admiration.
Even England start as favorites in the match, India will enter the match on a confident note considering their past record here at the Eden.
Till now India has played 37 test matches at the venue, they have won 10 matches, lost 8 and have drawn 19 matches.
The record does not look that impressive, but the things that will bring a smile to the face of an Indian fan is the fact that the last Test that India lost in Kolkata was way back in 1999. Indian spectators will remember the Test match by the incident involving Shoaib Akhtar coming in the way of Sachin Tendulkar resulting in his run-out.
So, it has been almost 13 years that India has lost a Test match at the Eden Gardens. From that match till now, India have played nine matches at the venue and have won six matches and drawn three. India have beaten the best teams at the venue like Australia, South Africa and Pakistan.
India can draw inspiration from this and look to pound their opponent and take a 2-1 lead in the four match Test series.
At the individual level, the match holds a lot of importance for under-fire Tendulkar. He has been going through one of the worst phases in his life and fingers are now being pointed at him with the calls for retirement getting louder than ever. For a man who almost has all the batting records to his name for the first time in his career faces a situation where he needs to prove a point, that he still belongs.
Over the last two years he has scored at an average of 35.72 runs per innings (in 37 innings) with 2 centuries to his credit and he will be dying to shrug the monkey off his back.
With rank turners on offering, the key for India will be spinners perform in the match. England bowlers adapted to pitch very well in the last match but Indian tweakers never found the right length and pace and as result suffered. They will have to adapt to the pitch as fast as possible and deliver the goods right from the word go.
On the other hand England performed as a unit and they will just look to carry on their form.
Not many changes are expected in the match and both the teams might go in with the same team, except for Harbhajan Singh who might get replaced with a pacer.
By Indian Sports News Network