India Face Pace Conundrum In English Test

It is the first time in over two decades that India will tour England without Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. The last time India were in England for a four-Test series in 2011, they were beaten 0-4 despite Rahul Dravid scoring three Test centuries.

That series, billed around Tendulkar's impending 100th century in international cricket, saw India's pace spearhead Zaheer Khan pull out with a hamstring injury on the opening day of the first Test at Lord’s. It triggered India's most colossal drubbing since 1959. India returned empty handed as they lost their No. 1 Test rank to England. Andrew Strauss was at the helm of affairs for England then.

A lot of water has flown under the bridge. As India prepare for the first Test starting July 9, England skipper Alastair Cook is under immense scrutiny after his side's 0-1 loss to Sri Lanka. What has made things worse is his own form. He has managed just 601 runs in the last 24 innings, averaging just 25 runs an innings.

England have picked a pace-oriented attack for the first Test and may influence the Indian think tank to respond in kind, picking Ravindra Jadeja as the only spin bowling option at Trent Bridge. India's pace attack will be chosen among Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Varun Aaron, Pankaj Singh and Ishwar Pandey.


Yet, it is this attack that is India's biggest concern at the moment. Pankaj Singh and Ishwar Pandey are yet to make their debuts while Shami, Bhuvneshwar and Aaron have never played a Test in England leaving Ishant (55 Tests) to spearhead the Indian attack in the grueling series.

If coach Duncan Fletcher is to be believed, this inexperience brings the unpredictability and excitement. "It is nice sometimes, because being unpredictable they will play some exciting cricket. There are some very exciting cricketers in the squad who would go on to become very good cricketers for India," Fletcher said ahead of the series.

Ishant has shown his mettle in the past – two six-wicket hauls in New Zealand will have boosted his confidence amply. Bhuvneshwar has impressed everyone with his swing and ability to hit the right length. Shami has had a fairly good run in Test cricket and will relish bowling in England. Varun Aaron is the fastest of the Indian pacers and can bring a cutting edge to the attack.

Pandey, from Rewa in Madhya Pradesh, is a promising fast-medium bowler and can carry the burden of the Indian attack. He has been rewarded for claiming 78 wickets in Ranji Trophy over the last two seasons. Similarly, Pankaj Singh has been picked since he had a very good first class season behind him.

Former India captain and former Chairman of selectors, Dilip Vengsarkar highlighted his concern about this attack before the series. "It will be tough for India. We need to have bowlers who can get them out twice but unfortunately I don't see any bowler," Vengsarkar said. The bowlers on tour will have to prove that they were chosen on merit and the belief that they can raise their game.