Cheteshwar Pujara walks back as it rains at the Oval on Thursday, a day before the fifth and final Test (Source: Reuters)
Wearing a black and yellow tee-shirt over faded denims, Sourav Ganguly was in the middle of delivering his ‘Masterclass’, filmed by the host broadcasters on match eve. On the other set of practice pitches, a group in sharp suits — invitees at a corporate event — were getting the first feel of the Oval’s central square. These sideshows, however, were soon about to fold up as the main actors, the Indian cricketers, had begun trickling down the dressing room stairs.
And then it started raining. Pouring, rather. It was a funny sight as a star in casuals, the nobodies in formals and the Indian cricketers in their training blues all ran together seeking shelter under the Oval’s roof. Adding to the confusion were the groundsmen who were rushing the opposite way, armed with covers. For the next hour or so, the Indians sat in the dressing room balcony watching the drenched outfield below and the stunning flashes of lightning above. The eerie silence of a gloomy day would occasionally be broken by the sudden deafening clap of thunder.
Eventually, they left the stadium without getting a feel of the field. Their bus crawled on the busy road in the heavy evening rush and under heavier cloud cover. The Indians would have preferred a more rigorous outing at the venue. But the depressing sight of dark clouds has been associated with fresh, painful memories. Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s decision to bat first at Manchester, followed closely by the two batting collapses occurred when the English summer began resembling both a south Indian monsoon and a north Indian winter.
In London for the second time in this Test series, the cloud cover and swinging conditions will continue to haunt the Indians. After a couple of cloudy days, the forthcoming Test is expected to witness intermittent rains before the sun finally emerges in all its glory on the final day. The wicket is expected to be slow, but since when has that bothered James Anderson? He doesn’t bank on the movement off-the-pitch; Anderson gets wickets by creating doubts in the minds of batsmen with his magic that turn balls into boomerangs.
A stitch in time
Stuart Broad, someone who can be the perfect pair-up with Anderson for a buddy movie, will be back by his side after the forced absence in the second innings at Old Trafford. With a heavily strapped nose, because of the blow he took in the last Test while batting, Broad bowled a longish spell and faced several ‘short ball’ throw-downs from batting coach Mark Ramprakash.
For England, it’s the perfect set up to go 3-1 up and opportunity to complete a perfect turnaround. Even if it finishes 2-2, the pre-series calls of Alastair Cook’s sacking perhaps wouldn’t be raised again. Today, at the start of the England training session, Broad, while running next to his skipper, said: “It doesn’t seem a year ago we were lifting the Ashes.” Cook would reply, “It might not to you, but it does to me.” Speaking about the training time interaction at the press conference, the finally smiling captain said, “A lot has happened in a year and over the next year. that’s the beauty of sport that you don’t know what’s going to happen (next). We’ve made a big stride forward in the last few weeks as a side.”
The same cannot be said about India, of course. They did take a stride forward at Lord’s but soon they were pushed a couple of steps back. A win here, a very remote possibility, will be seen as a big achievement for the inexperienced team. A loss might trigger temporary uproar but Dhoni will not have to face the kind of pressure Cook did. His runs alone in the series will save him. Though, he averages a modest 33, Dhoni has been more successful than Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli, the two batsmen who were supposed to India’s mainstay here.
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For India to do well, Dhoni, the captain, like the batsmen he has been in this series, needs to make some adjustments. The return of Ishant Sharma will certainly makes things easier for him but he needs to be more astute in his team selection, field placement and bowling changes.
Dhoni denied that India might go in for a stand-in opener despite the fact that Shikhar Dhawan, or his replacement Gautam Gambhir, haven’t been close to finding form so far. So the talk about pushing Pujara or Rohit Sharma to the top surely won’t come true. He was candid when speaking about the combination, saying India will continue to stick with five bowlers and didn’t hide the fact that he had a word with the boys after the Old Trafford batting debacle. The only time he was secretive was when he was asked about how he spent his extra day of rest between the Tests.
On a long tour, he didn’t need to be secretive or defensive about taking a break. Maybe, just maybe, playing paint-ball, watching football, going to shooting range or even counting rain drops can make you play better cricket.
Sandeep Dwivedi is the Sports Editor at The Indian Express. He is one of India's most prominent sports journalists, known for his deep analytical insights and storytelling that often goes beyond scores and statistics to explore the human and cultural side of sports.
Professional Profile
Role: As the Sports Editor, he leads the sports coverage for the newspaper and the website.
Weekly Column: He writes "The Sports Column," a weekly feature where he provides sharp, narrative-driven perspectives on the biggest sporting news of the week.
Podcast: He is a frequent contributor to the "Express Sports" podcast (Game Time), where he discusses evolving trends in cricket and other international sports.
Areas of Expertise
While Dwivedi covers the entire sporting spectrum, his work is particularly noted in the following areas:
Cricket: He provides extensive coverage of the Indian National Team and the IPL. He frequently analyzes the leadership styles of figures like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Gautam Gambhir. He is known for tracking the transition phases of Indian cricket and the evolution of specific players like Kuldeep Yadav and Rishabh Pant.
Athletics & Olympic Sports: He has written extensively on Neeraj Chopra’s rise in javelin, the nuances of Indian shooting, and tennis legends like Sania Mirza and Leander Paes.
Human Interest Stories: A hallmark of his writing is his focus on the struggles and backgrounds of athletes, such as the sacrifices made by Shafali Verma’s father or the "silent battles" of veteran players like Cheteshwar Pujara.
Notable Recent Work & Themes
Leadership and Dynamics: Recently, he has written about the dynamic between Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, and Rohit Sharma, arguing that personal friendship is not a prerequisite for team success.
Sports & Culture: His articles often intersect with global culture, such as his deep dive into the 100-year legacy of the Harlem Globetrotters and their role as American soft power during the Cold War.
The "Grey Areas" of Sport: He often addresses sensitive topics like the mental health of cricketers post-retirement, the "outrage industry" in sports broadcasting, and the impact of fan-wars on the game.
Tenure and Experience
Dwivedi has been with The Indian Express for over three decades. This experience allows him to provide historical context to modern sporting events, often comparing current crises or triumphs to those of previous generations.
You can follow his latest work and columns on his official Indian Express Author Profile. ... Read More
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Cheteshwar Pujara walks back as it rains at the Oval on Thursday, a day before the fifth and final Test (Source: Reuters)
