For India, home is no longer sweet

It’s been nearly 17 days since India won the Ahmedabad Test. Their world has been crumbling since then. The defeat in Mumbai was thought to be a one-off.

The Indian spinners, it was felt, had only momentarily forgotten the age-old wisdom of how to bowl on turners. Our batsmen were, for once, up against a seriously guileful spin duo. But if England were fast improving, India couldn’t be an ordinary side in the space of a few days. There was promise in the air that Kolkata would be different. A week since the Mumbai Test, nothing has changed. So, are India losing their invincibility at home as well?

England have reminded MS Dhoni what India would do best at home. A good first innings score would be the bedrock of their wins in the past. But for three innings now, (two at Wankhede and one here) Dhoni’s men have huffed their way to 300.

With a spinner of stature — an Anil Kumble or a Harbhajan Singh of the early 2000s — India may have still clawed their way into the game. But as evident in the three Tests, R Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha have a long way to go. About the Indian pacers, let’s not even go there.

Top sides are known to mask their inadequacies with team spirit. Here, too, India fell well short of the desired grade. Fielding coach Trevor Penney was defensive when questioned why Zaheer Khan doesn’t take a start while fielding at deep fine-leg or deep square-leg.

He was also asked why India didn’t employ their part-timers on Day Two when their regular bowlers were ineffective. Was there enough communication between the support staff and the team? Or could it be asked if the seniors were pitching in with inputs?

“That’s purely up to the captain,” Penney said when asked why India didn’t turn to Virender Sehwag or Yuvraj Singh to land a breakthrough. “He felt his bowlers were doing a good job. He was trying to keep it quiet because it was a very flat wicket, wasn’t it?”

Penny felt it would be premature to claim that India were no more a formidable unit in the subcontinent. “Just two weeks ago, we won convincingly. Last week, we had everything in our favour after Day One, but let it slip with a very good innings by Kevin Pietersen. This match, maybe, we should have got more runs in the first innings but tomorrow (Friday) is a new day. If we can get three or four wickets early, it should be Evens-Stevens after the first innings. (Alastair) Cook’s (wicket) is the key. He is in prime form, and he has really played well in the last three weeks. Try and get him and the match is wide open,” he said.

It has taken an inexperienced England side to make India confront some awkward questions. What when the Aussies arrive next?