Javagal Srinath
Indian cricket has struck a purple patch; we are now ranked No.2 in the ICC Test rankings this team must now make a serious challenge for No.1. This is also the time to appreciate
how Australia maintained their standards – and their No. 1 rank for such a long time. A strong test playing country can always produce a good ODI side but the vice versa may not be necassarily true. In the recent Australia's loss in the Test series Ricky Ponting and the management is being severely criticized. It is a reminder that to the team with standards, all that matters is No.1.
how Australia maintained their standards – and their No. 1 rank for such a long time. A strong test playing country can always produce a good ODI side but the vice versa may not be necassarily true. In the recent Australia's loss in the Test series Ricky Ponting and the management is being severely criticized. It is a reminder that to the team with standards, all that matters is No.1. India's bid for the No.1 in both forms of the game will send a very good message down the line in Indian cricket. Everyone aspiring for a place in the team will know that they are not only playing for their country but also for the Number for the number one team in the world.
Now India has seven ODIs lined up against England and India , you have to think, are thebetter team here. England has had a mixed bag this year, beating South Africa at home, but losing series to New Zealand both home and away. I feel England are willing to compromise on the short game but focus and compete fiercely hard in Test cricket. This may well happen in India .
India will have much confidence going into the series – every other player in the batting line-up is an impact player, who can change the course of a match: there's Virender Sehwag to open, Yuvraj Singh in the middle order followed by MS Dhoni and the wild card Yousuf Pathan lower down. In between there is Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina who are very effective and could bring stability in the middle order. England depend mainly on captain Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff and are hamstrung by an unsettled opening pair. There's been a lot of changing and chopping of the openers, not ideal when you need a settled opening pair on India 's batting tracks to get you on your way.
This series will be a good time for India to look for bowlers for the bigger tournaments down the line – the world T20 next year and further down the line to the 2011 world cup. There is a good tussle on for the second's spinner's slot between Pragyan Ojha who will be playing the first three ODIs and Piyush Chawla, who finds himself on the fringes of reckoning again, like Irfan Pathan, RobinUthappa and Dinesh Karthick. It is not as easy as it seems to get into an Indian squad.
England 's bowling find itself wanting in experience as only Flintoff and Anderson haveplayed a reasonable number of ODIs. It will be 
interesting to see how Stuart Broad shapes up – and I have the feeling he may want to make himself known for different deeds in India apart from being the bowler off whom Yuvraj hit six sixes in the World T20 in South Africa !
interesting to see how Stuart Broad shapes up – and I have the feeling he may want to make himself known for different deeds in India apart from being the bowler off whom Yuvraj hit six sixes in the World T20 in South Africa !HAWKEYE COMMUNICATIONS