The Marquee Series in Indian Cricket will begin today (November 15) in Ahmedabad, with India hosting England in a four-match tournament.
Indian fans were hurt by the twin drubbings the Indian team received in the past few months, losing 4-0 to both England and Australia.
This Marquee Series will be tough for India against an England side that is now ranked the best in the world.
This will be the first series that India will play against a top-ranked test nation, after the retirement of Rahul Dravid and V V S Laxman.
Talented youngsters like Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara will get a chance to display their talents against their formidable opponents.
It will be test of their batting skills and mental fortitude.
Pressure on players
Opening batsmen Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir have been under pressure for not having put on a century stand in Tests for nearly two years.
Their good innings would be essential to India’s chances of success.
India had green-seaming pitches in England, where they were whitewashed.
Will the team reciprocate the feeling and make rank-turners and dust bowls for the English players?
If this happens, it will provide the troika of off spinners Harbhajan Singh, Ravichandran Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha even better conditions to try and spin the English batsman in a web.
A lot has changed for the better in English Cricket since the former Zimbabwean batsman Andy Flower became their coach a few years ago.
Today’s English Cricketers, who play with determination, are no pushovers when it comes to playing in the Subcontinent.
England stronger
Their current tour of is the biggest test of Alastair Cook’s fledgling career as Test Captain, who hopes to become the first England skipper to win a series in India in nearly 30 years, and equal the feat achieved by David Gower and his team in 1984-1985.
Graeme Swann could be a great aid in this mission.
With 192 test wickets under his belt and the ability to extract turn and bounce on most surfaces, the off-spinner will ask plenty of questions of an inexperienced Indian middle order.
The current series would give India a good opportunity to look into the future.
With a tough home series against Australia to follow, and overseas tours looming on the horizon, the on-going tournament will show how much the Indian players have learnt for their recent abysmal test record.
It would be another opportunity for the English to reverse their dwindled fortunes in India, with their prodigal son Kevin Pietersen back on their side.
