The brouhaha over India's historic triumph at Lord's refuses to die, and expectedly so. It has been a 28-year long wait after all. No doubt India were the better team in the game, and performed fantastically to clinic victory. It was a wonderful team effort with sensational contributions from Rahane, Vijay, Kumar, Ishant and Jadeja. Everyone deserves the kudos for their efforts. At the same time, the win should not mislead India into believing that it was a flawless performance, for it wasn't. They had their bad moments in the game, but a weak opposition allowed them to escape.
There is a problem for India right at the top of the order and a big one at that. While Murali Vijay has been consistency-personified, the same cannot be said about his opening partner, Shikhar Dhawan. The left-hander's technique has been exposed under the bowler-friendly conditions. He has got a couple of starts, but hasn't looked in control out in the middle even once. The win at Lord's means he might most probably get another chance in the third Test. But, if he fails to perform there as well, the team might seriously consider giving Gautam Gambhir a go. India have been rescued by Vijay at the top so far, but he is bound to have a failure, and that is where a poor opening combination might really hurt India.
The worries continue in sync with the batting order. India's number three Cheteshwar Pujara hasn't been as solid as most people expected him to be. He has got off to reasonable starts during each of his four visits to the crease, but rather uncharacteristically has been dismissed in the 30s and 40s, while only once crossing the fifty mark. Rather surprisingly, he has actually been out trying to take on the bowlers in a couple of innings, and that too at crucial phases in the game. While that displays an aggressive intent, it always indicates that Pujara needs to be careful about his shot selection. Virat Kohli is another batsman who needs to get back among the runs. This is a rare bad phase for Kohli, who has scored runs in most parts of the world. However, an in-form Kohli will only make India that much stronger.
The Lord's victory also cannot dwarf MS Dhoni's troubles with the bat. It is clear that his technique is not up to the mark in conditions abroad. Dhoni played a bizarre knock in the second innings at Lord's, first trying to attack and then playing the waiting game, but was unsuccessful in both as the runs just did not come. He did get a 80 in the first innings at Trent Bridge, but that is not enough. With his weak technique, Dhoni cannot survive for long at the crease, so it might help if he plays the waiting game, but that again is a ploy fraught with danger.
The bowling is also a concern for India, especially the form of Mohammad Shami. The lanky fast bowler, who, not long ago, was the bright young hope of Indian cricket is suddenly looking jaded. And, he hasn't even completed one year in international cricket, having made his debut only last November at home during Sachin Tendulkar's farewell series. These are not good signs for India. They need to watch Shami's progress closely. The fifth bowler is also a worry for India. Despite being picked as an all-rounder, Dhoni hasn't shown a lot of faith in Stuart Binny's bowling as a result of which Murali Vijay landed his maiden Test wicket. Lots to still work upon for India then.
--By A Cricket Analyst
