D stands for dust that the Indian cricket team ate in England after a 4-0 Test series whitewash. Presenting the A to Z of a bummer of an English summer
D stands for dust that the Indian cricket team ate in England after a 4-0 Test series whitewash. Presenting the A to Z of a bummer of an English summerA for AndrewCaptain Andrew Strauss, who didn't succumb to all the hype over England's No 1 ranking and put his head down to do the hard yards. Not once did he throw any barbs at the faltering Indian team, in his media interaction. A memorable off-field moment was watching him drive his black Jaguar to the team hotel after England's victory in Nottingham, which means he didn't have much to drink during the celebrations.
Monty takes a tabloid blow B for BellIan Bell was run out by Abhinav Mukund in Nottingham, only to be asked to resume his innings by a generous Indian team. Bell was England's batting hero of the series, for his two three-figure innings and the stylish manner in which he got those runs.
C for ConflictRavi Shastri and Nasser Hussain were involved in a verbal battle on air at Nottingham. Hussain felt there was no harm in slamming India's allergy for the Decision Review System while Shastri felt all the negativity about India was plain jealousy.u00a0
D for DhoniTo his credit M S Dhoni stayed Captain Cool in public. He handled his press conferences well, but that doesn't mean he said all the right things. His utterances, which suggested that winning overseas is not, the ultimate thing, was thought as strange by those who believe that overseas performances are paramount.
E foru00a0EdgbastonDhoni's team was expected to fare better here after a tour game in Northampton. But the heaviest defeat came here an innings and 42 runs. Off the field, Edgbaston was the best venue in terms of facilities, although their catering staff could improve on their dal preparation.
F for FlowerEngland team director, Andy Flower drove his team towards excellence and the work is not over as yet. Soon, he will be dishing out tougher tasks for his men to accomplish and they are fast learning that this Flower don't believe in wilting.
G for GambhirRuns deserted Gautam Gambhir and luck too. He suffered a concussion while attempting to catch Kevin Pietersen at The Oval and had to come in to bat in an unfamiliar position. He better get everything correct in the one dayers. It was not just cricket that had Gauti in all kinds of trouble. He was sent to deal with the media during the Edgbaston Test where he tried to put India's poor showing in perspective, but he found only few takers for his explanation that bad days are experienced by every cricket team.
H foru00a0HarbhajanWhat a travesty that Harbhajan had to leave the tour half way after an injury in Nottingham. But even before that, Bhajji could not really spin the opponents out of contention.
I for InnocuousThat is the way India's bowling attack appeared on most occasions. Praveen Kumar bagged 15 wickets in three Tests, but he is at best an honest toiler and not a pace exponent, something India badly needed on the tour.
J for JamesMuch of the credit for England's splendid display over the last one month must go to James Anderson. He has forced cricket fans and pundits to call Sachin Tendulkar his bunny. And they have the stats to prove it.
K for Kab?That is what the Indian media asked when the BCCI issued a media release after the tour game at Northampton about Zaheer Khan being ruled out of the tour not only due to his hamstring injury but an ankle problem too. Kab hua? Kaise hua? Everybody wondered.
L for LondonThe best city in the world for many did not provide happy memories for the Indian cricket team through heavy losses in the Lord's and Oval Test.
M for MontyLeft-arm spinner Monty Panesar, who couldn't get into the England squad, faced some heat from an English tabloid for bowling to Sachin Tendulkar before the Test series. THE FOOL MONTY screamed the headline.
N for NarenderYoung Mr. Narender Kumar, a photographer from Delhi, had a memorable start to his Test tour when he climbed 18 floors with heavy photography equipment since the lifts at his apartment were out of order. On August 21, the same problem forced him to climb down 18 floors.
O foru00a0OvalThe famous venue where several legends of the game played their last Tests against England. Don Bradman is the most famous in that list. The venue will never again see the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman again in India Test match colours. Though Laxman disappointed his fans here, Dravid played an innings to remember and Tendulkar's 91 will not be forgotten easily, two lives notwithstanding.
P for PraveenDespite limitations in pace, Praveen K bowled with enthusiasm and gave it all whenever he ran in. He also got his name on the honours' board at Lord's with his fifer. India missed the wounded soldier at The Oval.
Q for QamarThe veteran Pakistani journalist, Qamar Ahmed who has covered every English summer from 1974 save the 2009 one when he returned to Pakistan, was a disappointed man at the end of this series. He believed India didn't fight hard enough and let themselves become fodder. An able left-arm spinner himself, who can boast of dismissing the Mohammad brothers of Pakistan (Hanif, Mushtaq and Sadiq), Qamar used to get livid in the press box seeing India's pace men repeatedly stray in line and length.
R for RahulWhat a player! Rahul Dravid has performed well on each of his Test tours to England since 1996, but this one was unbelievable... three hundreds in four Tests. India and England now fight for the Pataudi trophy. How about a Rahul Dravid Trophy for the best batsman of an India vs England series?
Sanjay ManjrekarS for SanjayFormer batsman Sanjay Manjrekar always raised pertinent points during commentary and studio shows for Sky TV. And when he had a break, he came over to the press box and delighted his old mates with the odd cricketing gem and a couple of old Hindi songs.
T for TendulkarNot many times Sachin Tendulkar ends a Test series without a 100. This one was a rare one. Did he put too much pressure on himself to get one? We will never know. Tendulkar provided much hope for a 100 when he got good starts. Apart from Monday at the Oval, pundits reckoned he would have got one in the second innings of the Edgbaston game, before that cruel run out sent him back with 40 to his name.
U for UsainSprinter Usain Bolt thrilled all the Jamaicans here in England with his showing in Europe just before the Lord's Test. Courtney Walsh expressed how thrilled he was, when we caught up with him at the Mecca of cricket in July. Michael Holding, who was part of the commentary team here, is a huge Bolt fan too.
V for ViruBefore the tour, V Sehwag told a group of fans in Mumbai that he would figure in the Lord's Test despite the BCCI issuing a statement about him missing the first two Tests. Maybe he was joking. He joined his mates at Northampton and then there was a report of his ear problem. He played the Edgbaston Test and got a golden pair. At The Oval, he was cheered when he got off the mark. On the last day of the Test, he was ruled out of the ODI series. And that was the end of his joke of a tour.
W for WarneSlim Shane Warne surprised his mates here in England with the serious amount of weight he has lost. He would not doubt love the lighter look, but his admirers reckoned that he had lost the glow. Anyway, he continued to be seen with Liz Hurley and at Edgbaston, he had a bit of convincing to do with the stewards before she was allowed to accompany him. By the way, he still enjoys his ice creams as fellow commentator Nasser Hussain discovered the other day at The Oval.
X foru00a0X factorThe Indian team lacked this throughout the Test series. Dhoni had a lot of sympathisers when injuries struck one after the other. No one wanted to be in the captain's shoes.
Y for YuvrajAnother injury victim. Apart from Yuvraj Singh's batting, he would have been useful with his left-arm spin and could have provided Dhoni's depressed team some cheer with his sense of humour. Yuvraj may have not cashed in on his Test chances, but he was unnecessarily criticised by the English commentators who felt he was not a good player against fast bowlers.
Z for ZaheerAfter two brilliant deliveries, which dismissed Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook at Lord's, Zaheer Khan could not cause any more damage to the England team. His team hoped he wouldu00a0 recover and even we thought he would be back for the Edgbaston Test after hearing from a grounds man at Northampton, that Zaheer looked good in his fitness test before the tour game. But in the end, he had to go home. Zaheer's injury was as bitter as the four Test losses. Come back Zak is all one can say.
