The Hindu : Sport : England has played with a simple plan

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Monday, Dec 15, 2008
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England has played with a simple plan

I doff my hat to the England side, writes W.V. Raman

The attack on 26/11 rocked not only the city of Mumbai and the nation but also left the cricketing world stunned as well.

The T20 Champions League was postponed and the England team kept its options open until the last moment regarding their return to India for the Test series.

Behind the scenes

The aftermath of 26/11 also saw a lot of action behind the scenes as the administrators had to ensure that the game was not affected in a big way and yet respect the sentiment of the public as well as the touring Englishmen.

However, the England cricketers need to be complimented for their maturity as they never panicked but just wanted some reassurance that the security would be good enough for them to return and play the Test matches.

The tour eventually got underway, but at Chennai rather than in Ahmedabad (an understandable move).

The one question that popped up in everyone’s mind was whether the Englishmen would muster enough mental strength to play the game at their optimum level given the preamble to the series.

The stoic nature of the Englishmen came to the fore as they trained in Abu Dhabi before they reached Chennai and the way they performed at Chennai is admirable.

No warm-up games, no acclimatisation but the hosts were pegged onto the back foot as the visitors played with a simple and effective plan. Dhoni and his men were pushed to the wall and the catch up started for them as early as the second day.

The composure that Pietersen and his boys have shown was outstanding and this is where the captain’s persuasive abilities and his positive attitude was a major influence on the team.

Brave decision

In coming to India, the ECB and the England players have stood by the BCCI and their brave decision will mean a lot to international cricket apart from cricket in India.

Of course, a few former Pakistani cricketers in their ignorance fail to understand why India is preferred over Pakistan.

The ongoing series in India against England is not the benchmark for other cricket fixtures in the sub-continent as the current situation demands that a lot of aspects are taken care of before an event can be conducted.

As such, the future series between India and Pakistan seems as a much a possibility as a camel passing through the eye of a needle. Though the PCB is trying its best to use diplomacy at all levels to get the series going, one wonders whether it is likely to make an impression on the powers that be.

While that’s all in the future, the current series between India and England has got off to a grand start in more aspects than one but the importance of high security procedures has not been viewed by the cricketers with as much respect as they should.

Poor advertisement

The fracas between Zaheer and the Chennai police is a poor advertisement for the awareness level of some cricketers and it is a pity that they fail to appreciate the tremendous work done by the police and security personnel.

The players have an equal responsibility in ensuring that the security procedures are not violated as there is no doubt in anyone’s mind that the situation is by no means normal.

The Indian captain has appreciated his opposite number for the decision to go ahead with the series, but the point is that his own teammates have failed to grasp the magnitude of the phenomenal amount of work that has gone into getting the show on the road.

Be that as it may, I doff my hat to the England side not only for the solidarity they have shown but also for adapting to conditions almost overnight to give India a run for its money.

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