England v India – India lacking the killer instinct in the final Test

After much was said and enough was written regarding the despicable performance by India in the ongoing four-match Test series in England, the tourists still seem to be heading downwards as even after losing their number one status in Test cricket the Indians have failed to impress many in the final Test being played at the Oval.

The series is already out of India’s grasp; nonetheless, they need to restore their wounded ego and what better way to attain redemption than to beat the English in the fourth match.

However, on the contrary the Indians left many fans in complete disarray by letting the English take the game away on the second day at the Oval by exhibiting poor bowling and distasteful fielding.

The Indians needed to prove to the world that they had the talents within their ranks to humiliate the reigning number one team in Test cricket, instead they got bogged down once again in the series and now it is going to be extremely difficult for the Mahendra Singh Dhoni led Indian squad to make a comeback in the game where the hosts have already posted a humongous tally of 457 runs on the board for the loss of only three wickets.

The Indians were ripped apart by the outstanding batting display from England’s bad boy Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell who together forged an astounding partnership which annihilated the Indian bowlers leaving the tourists wounded and out of ideas against the flamboyant English batsmen.

KP, who is having a magical time with the bat in the series, scored a commendable innings as he crafted a sensational knock of 175 runs off 232 deliveries while his batting partner also played a handsome innings of 181 runs off 304 deliveries.

While KP has been sent back in the pavilion, Bell is still on the crease and will be looking to score his double century on the third day.

Meanwhile, India need to comprehend the serious nature of the situation and should devise a way to restrict the English from posting runs which might become extremely difficult for the Indians to overcome.

From the way things are going it seems as if England are not done with India and are raring to whitewash the series which will cement their claim on the number one spot in Test cricket, a feat they have just achieved after dethroning India from the prestigious spot.

India needs its star players to come up with a match winning performance in the Test finale which will give the tourists some fond memories to carry back home.
The likes of batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, VVS Laxman and Gautam Gambhir need to pull their socks and help the national side avoid a complete annihilation against England.

This summer, the star studded Indian contingent has been made to look like second rate cricketers by the English who have made the Indians sweat throughout the series. It was only in the first innings of the second Test at Trent Bridge, Nottingham that India dominated the English; nonetheless, the hosts overpowered the tourists later in the innings.

This shows that India have lost their focus on numerous occasions in the series which basically resulted in their demise. India now need to redeem their lost glory to shun their critics, otherwise they risk facing radical changes in the national team which could lead to the axing of many “stars” in the team.