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A tremendous achievement

The win at Leeds could not have arrived at a better time for India.

Actually, to defeat England by an innings in conditions favouring the home side, represents a tremendous achievement.

My mind goes back to the '86 series, where Kapil Dev's side defeated England comprehensively. Then, we clinched the series 2-0 with that victory, now we have levelled the scores with one Test to go.

There is always something extra in the air, whenever India triumphs in England.

Sourav Ganguly's side has displayed an enormous amount of self-belief, and this must surely rank among India's finest victories in recent times, considering the hurdles the team had to surmount both on and off the field.

The win also makes me feel extremely happy as a former India cricketer. It is clear that the entire team responded to the challenge as one, and it deserves all credit.

Indeed, this has been a Test, where India as a unit, and not as a collection of individuals, has come to the fore. There was not a single person at whom you could point your finger and say `he won the match for us.' Instead we can all say `they (the team) won us the Test.'' This is how it should always be. Cricket is a team game, and in the past, there have been instances of some brilliant individual performances by the Indians, but the side still not benefiting due to a lack of supportive efforts.

Importantly at Leeds, the bowlers rose to the occasion. Batsmen can fetch you the runs, but it is the bowlers who have to get a side out, and there were quite a few who doubted India's ability to dismiss a side twice in a Test. The bowlers have proved the doubters wrong.

I was particularly impressed with the display of Sanjay Bangar, and after quite a while, we have seen a genuine all-round Test performance by an Indian. His knock as an opener in the first innings was an invaluable one, and it was Bangar's partnership with Dravid that really set up things for India.

He also operated within his limitations, and got two valuable second innings wickets sending down medium pace. It is important that we groom this quiet, but efficient, cricketer in the days to come. Frankly, I did not expect such a display from Bangar, and he does appear to be a player who will get better as he gains in confidence.

For England, skipper Nasser Hussian and Alec Stewart strove hard, but the side is beginning to miss Marcus Trescothick's free-stroking ways at the top of the order and Graham Thorpe's solidity in the middle.

The side also brought about too many changes in its attack, with Andrew Caddick, Alex Tudor and Ashley Giles receiving a look-in. They were all making a comeback and there was a very unsettled look about the attack. It was the colossal failure of the English bowlers under helpful conditions that put so much pressure on the home batsmen.

Psychologically, the Leeds win should have provided a huge boost to the Indian morale and the side must cash in on the momentum and go on to win the series.

www.kris-srikkanth.com.

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