Can Team India be the new ‘˜Manchester United’ of the cricketing world? Just a random thought out of a flashy pan but who can doubt those thoughts after MS Dhoni’s men hat trick of series’.
Can Team India be the new ‘Manchester United’ of the cricketing world?
Just a random thought out of a flashy pan but who can doubt those thoughts after MS Dhoni’s men hat trick of series’ defeats saw them lose the series 3-1 at the hands of England with a colossal innings and 244-run loss at The Oval on Sunday and also included a shameful collapse from the tourists to 94 all out in the 2nd innings.
For a second time running, Team India folded inside three days and with patience running out for the fans, is it end of the road for Duncan Fletcher and Dhoni, too?
These Indian players below are undoubtedly the pantomime villains from the concluded Test series. Who are they? Find out here:
Virat Kohli
One of the biggest disappointments coming from the series was the Delhi-born Virat Kohli. The vice-captain hardly impressed the when on the crease and was also at fault for some dropped catches in the slip cordon. 5 matches played 134 runs with a paltry average of 13.40; Virat Kohli was criticized from all rounds due to the same mistakes employed.
Cheteshwar Pujara
His predecessor, Rahul Dravid was the only shining light in that disastrous 2011 tour but Cheteshwar Pujara needs to work on his technique a lot if the latter needs to be remembered in the same breath as the great Dravid. Mere 222 runs scored this series; Pujara will need to work more on his technique and defence in order to succeed on green top tracks.
Ravindra Jadeja
After a controversial start to his life in England (involved in a spat with James Anderson), Ravindra Jadeja’s form sort of dipped away. A heroic performance in Lord’s was a one-off but the 3rd Test in Southampton was the one that portrayed a slip-up in Jadeja’s form.
Murali Vijay
A brilliant knock in Trent Bridge, Murali Vijay announced himself on the big stage with a bang. A gutsy 95 followed at Lord’s but the next 3 Tests, the Chennai-born was a no-show. Vijay came a cropper under the spell of James Anderson and Stuart Broad. Still a brilliant opener at the top but needs to rework on the technique with the front foot.
Mohammed Shami
Besides Ishant Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the other pacers were caught out and that included Mohammed Shami. The West Bengal pacer was hardly amongst the wickets and after playing just 2 Tests, the team management dropped Shami. Pundits cited fatigue for the loss of form in the case of Shami and needs to play more Tests in order to get back into shape.
Other notable nominees that were also worth mentioning – Rohit Sharma, Gautam Gambhir, Shikhar Dhawan, Pankaj Singh, Duncan Fletcher and Ajinkya Rahane.
