A different ball game

And before Mushtaq Ahmed can actually turn around and respond to the England ODI skipper’s SOS call,there are already two more of his wards desperately seeking his tutelage in the adjoining nets.

The practice jerseys are beginning to cling into their mostly toned bodies and the weather does seem to have had some effect on the 20-odd England cricketers as they go through the rigours of preparing for a five-match ODI and one-off Twenty20 tour of India. “Mr Mushy,you are going to be a busy man here,” quips one of the former Pakistani leg-spinner’s colleagues in the English camp. Mushtaq only smiles in that very cherubic fashion of his,though the salt-and-pepper beard somewhat masks the dimples underneath.

Mushy is soon into his element again. He loops up a couple of leg-breaks,informing Cook that this is the third powerplay before shouting out a couple of instructions. “Come to the front foot and then rock back,but remember to stay as low as possible while you do that,” he hollers.

And seeing the left-handed opener heeding his advice to the hilt,he applauds him with a “nice show Cooky”.

Not far away,head coach Andy Flower is busy conducting an impromptu,batting-against-spin clinic for a bunch of the younger batsmen in the England team,who stand around him obediently. He has only arrived earlier in the morning,having undergone a minor shoulder surgery,and more importantly having collected the prestigious Order of the British Empire (OBE) medal back in England. But seeing the former Zimbabwean stalwart — the only one dressed in complete training apparel — holding court,it seems quite obvious that he is not ready to rest on his laurels.

With their Test team perched on top of the pile,the English flag might be flying high over the cricketing world for the first time in decades. But the real test of their calibre will be in ridding themselves of the ‘poor travellers’ tag to this part of the world,especially in the limited-overs format — an abysmal record of one win in 13 matches in the recent past and an overall record of 13 wins in 35 matches.

Men who matter

In Mushtaq and Flower — one who played a majority of his cricket in these parts and the other who shone brighter than a crazy diamond on these wickets — this English lot may have the perfect guides when it comes to mastering these alien conditions – the flat wickets,the unyielding heat and the lot. But their recent high of beating the world champions in their backyard notwithstanding,Cook & Co will be aware that it’ll take more than just some expert advice to set the record straight.

So what is it about the Indian conditions that tormented the past two visiting English teams so horribly? Kevin Pietersen,who was part of both tours,in 2006 and in fact skippered the team in 2008,has the answers.

“Experience,the conditions,the wickets,and lack of preparation. I can tell you that we were poorly prepared prior to the last two tours,” he says. Never one to concede any mental edge,Pietersen though is quick to add,“But we were very well-prepared this time around. That record can change,because England cricket has changed from where it was three-four years ago.”

Though Pietersen might be validated in painting a rosy picture about his team’s chances,especially considering England’s impressive run across all formats recently,many of the issues he speaks about still require handling.

Thin on experience

At least seven in the England squad have never played an international match in India,while even some of the seniors have only limited experience adapting to these conditions. The heat,the incessant adulation – being stopped for autographs and photographs at every step – the crescendo that will welcome them at the ODI venues are all extremely alien to the likes of Jonathan Bairstow & Co.

It will be getting used to the pitches and quite quickly,however,that will separate the men from the boys – both when it comes to the bowling and the batting. While the English fast bowlers thrived on the more helpful conditions for seam and pace during the ODI series back home against the Indians,they will have to dig deep and manufacture new strategies here. And Tim Bresnan,who will lead the attack in the absence of the rested Jimmy Anderson and the injured Stuart Broad,is not oblivious to the challenge.

“To be honest,the wickets for the ODIs back home too were flat,but you could gather some seam with the new ball at least. Here it’ll be different,and discipline will be the key,” says the burly Yorkshireman.

Fellow pacer Steven Finn,meanwhile,insists that there is enough variety in the English attack to pose problems to the Indian batsmen even on their home soil. Tall and lanky,the 22-year-old quick does admit that his extra pace need not be an advantage in the drier conditions during the India tour.

“It can work both ways though. The extra pace can be scored off easily. But if you can bowl at 140+ on a good length and keep it straight,you will be difficult to score off in any condition,” says Finn,while insisting that he wasn’t quite the one-trick pony and had a few undisclosed weapons up his sleeve.

“We might not be really experienced,but the likes of Dernbach with his many changes of pace,Woakes and Meaks (Stuart Meaker) have come through the ranks nicely,and will be handful even on these wickets,” Bresnan says.

Bresnan is key

If there’s one bowler England can bank onto succeed in most conditions,then it is Bresnan. It is difficult to slot him in any category. The all-rounder can bowl a ‘heavy ball’,and at the same time has the ability to move both the new and the old ball,which in the absence of Anderson will be crucial to England’s chances. And along with Dernbach’s saucerful of ‘slow ball’ secrets,Bresnan also often shoulders the responsibility of bowling in the death. Anderson will be missed,especially if England are bowling second.

Though the abrasive nature of the surfaces in India will provide Bresnan some reverse-swing later in the innings,despite the two balls to be used at either end; there will be little margin for error for the likes of Dernbach and Woakes on these wickets. They will also find the lack of bounce,which enabled them to pound the junior Indian batsmen with a regular supply of bouncers particularly at The Oval,as another hindrance.

The role of Graeme Swann,easily the most accomplished spinner across both camps,will be doubly accentuated. But he will require his spin colleagues,all-rounders Samit Patel and 21-year-old Scott Borthwick to rise to the occasion. With economy rates of over six and seven respectively in their previous encounters in India,Swann and Patel are yet to come to the party over here though. “I know leg-spinners,even Shane Warne,don’t have a great record here. Indians do play spin really well,but Swanny has been a great help. I know they are going to come after me,” says Borthwick the baby-faced leggie from Durham.

England’s batting is centred around a couple of nurdlers at the top — Cook and Jonathan Trott — and a bunch of explosive hit-men around them. Pietersen and Ian Bell have the experience of playing in these conditions,while the likes of Craig Kieswetter and Jonathan Bairstow are still raw at this level.

300-plus targets

England’s major bugbear in the last two series,where they lost 5-1 and 5-0 respectively,was handling the array of spinners in the middle-overs. Not only did they end up losing crucial wickets,their inability to rotate the strike around ensured that they also surrendered the momentum quite often. This time around again,unlike in England,they might find themselves in positions of chasing 300+ totals more often than not.

Not surprising then that there has been a special focus during the visitors’ practice sessions on using their feet against the spinners,and picking the gaps as regularly as possible for ones or twos,orchestrated obviously by Flower,who was a master at this art. “If you leave the crease,ensure that you are getting at least a single,” he is heard telling the junior bunch.

India’s spin attack this time will be without Harbhajan Singh,England’s scourge in the past,but the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin and Rahul Sharma with their height and accuracy,and Ravindra Jadeja with his canny flight will pose fresh threats. And though the new rules will encourage the Englishmen to take the batting powerplay during the crucial middle-overs,utilising them to the optimum will depend heavily on the likes of Ravi Bopara and Pietersen.

“Spin will play a big part in India. We have to wait and see what type of pitches are prepared here. Biggest challenge will be facing spin,besides chasing big totals,” says Bopara.

England’s Test side,the best in the world,will face a stern test later this winter when they play a Test series against Pakistan in Dubai and play an away series in Sri Lanka. Their ODI side,ranked No.4 in the world,have an opportunity to improve their dismal record in this country ever since David Gower’s side dominated over two decades ago.

The muezzin’s voice has begun perforating through the loudspeakers in the distance again. The next three weeks might well be a sort of true calling for this very ambitious English lot.

New rules of engagement

A series of new regulations,approved by the ICC’s executive board in June,will come into play for the first time during the India-England ODI series. A look at the three major changes,and their possible impact on the series.

No runners: Injured batsmen will have to hobble between the wickets and rely on boundaries or retire hurt,since they can no longer call on a teammate to run for them. During this series,the unforgiving humidity at some Indian venues might take its toll on batsmen,causing them to cramp up and struggle to run quick singles. This is likely to affect the English players.

New balls from both ends: There will be two new balls in every ODI innings,one used at each end. If there is seam and swing on offer,the fast bowlers will benefit for twice as long. But most spinners aren’t comfortable bowling with the shine still on,and reverse swing may disappear entirely.

Which team will this benefit? It’s hard to say. England possess a better seam attack on paper,but a slower-ball merchant like Jade Dernbach might actually prefer an older ball on the slower Indian surfaces. Praveen Kumar or Tim Bresnan,on the other hand,won’t mind the ball staying new for longer. However,both R Ashwin and Graeme Swann are used to bowling with a new ball in ODIs.

change in Powerplays: In an effort to rid 50-overs cricket of formulaic middle overs,teams can opt for the batting and bowling powerplays only between overs 16 and 40. The mandatory powerplay will remain in place for the first ten overs as usual.

From the evidence of the World Cup,both India and England struggled with the batting powerplay. England’s implosion in their batting powerplay was,in the end,the turning point of tied game between the two sides. Meanwhile,India kept falling victim to taking it right at the end and trying too hard to force the pace. But in the ODI series in England,India seemed to get it right,and pulled off breezy powerplay assaults at The Oval and at Lord’s.

In this series,the rule might free up Kevin Pietersen,who earlier always seemed to walk in with the field spread out. The likes of Virat Kohli,Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni could also do serious damage,with these ten overs of field restrictions squeezed into the part of the innings they usually operate in.

Karthik Krishnaswamy