The Shubman Gill-led cricket team will be up against huge odds in the five-Test series, starting June 20, as India has never won a Test at two venues, while their record at the other three can be called extremely poor. However, former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar suggests India can take some inspiration from South Africa’s magnificent win over defending champions Australia in the World Test Championship (WTC) final in London and make history.
Of the five grounds where India will play, the visitors have never won a single Test match at Edgbaston in Birmingham since first playing there 58 years ago. Their record is abysmal at the other ground, Manchester’s Old Trafford, where India has not won in 89 years, since their maiden Test there in 1936. “I hope they win this time,” said Vengsarkar.
On a serious note, Vengsarkar says the Indian team can take inspiration from South Africa’s five-wicket win over a strong Australia that ended the Rainbow Nation’s 27-year drought for an ICC trophy.
“India should take a leaf out of the South African team’s performance in England in the WTC final… that they could get the better of one of the best teams in Test match cricket,” Vengsarkar told Patriot in an exclusive interview.
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India’s abysmal record
India’s performances at the three other designated venues provide no reason for optimism, as England is far ahead in terms of the number of Tests won. The series opens at Headingley, Leeds, where India has won only two of the seven matches played in 73 years, with their last win coming 23 years ago. England has emerged victorious four times, and one match has been drawn.
The third Test will be played at Lord’s, London, where India has managed to win just three out of 19 matches in 91 years, while England ended up on the winning side on 12 occasions since 1932. Four Tests have been drawn. One proud moment for India at Lord’s has been Vengsarkar’s record three centuries in four Tests he has played there, starting in 1979.
The fifth and final encounter will be played at The Oval, London, where India won two of the seven Tests in 89 years, while England has triumphed in five. Seven have ended in draws.
So, it would be advisable for Gill’s young team not to look at India’s venue records, for it could only demotivate them.
Remain positive
However, the last time India toured England in 2021 for a five-Test series, Kohli’s team did well to take a 2-1 lead by the fourth game before losing the fifth when it was played after 10 months due to the Covid pandemic.
Vengsarkar suggests Indian players look at the positive side. “The fact of the matter is that those who will play will have a chance to showcase their talent and grab the opportunity. It is the best opportunity for them to establish themselves, as it is a five-match long series. This is very important,” says the 69-year-old stylish batsman.
The Indian players will also have to adapt to the English conditions quickly, cautions Vengsarkar. “They have to acclimatise to the conditions. That’s important. And in England, the ball moves around when there are heavy conditions, cloudy conditions. So, you have to be careful, always,” he warns.
Insufficient preparation
Some experts feel that the Indian board should have arranged for practice matches with strong English county teams instead of the lone intra-squad match before the first Test to get battle-ready.
“For almost the last 10 years, whether we have gone to Australia or to England or to South Africa, we have hardly got any side [practice] games to get acclimatised to the conditions,” rued Vengsarkar. “But at least this time they have sent an India A team to England to play some games and to see some options (for replacement purposes also). Some of the players (not in India A) also got some games to play, like KL Rahul, who scored a double century in a practice game. So, that’s a good thing.” Rahul, of course, is an integral member of the Test squad.
After the Indian Premier League was paused – and then extended – due to the unforeseen India-Pakistan conflict, the time for preparation for the Indian team before the first Test was further reduced. Unfortunately, like on previous occasions, the BCCI again gave IPL priority over the national team’s interests.
Missing Kohli and Rohit
Vengsarkar feels Kohli and Rohit should have ended their careers after playing in this series. “Well, the squad is good, considering that Rohit and Virat have called time. So [in the circumstances] it looks good without them. It was their call, basically, to continue or not to continue. But I wish they had played the England series and then announced retirement,” he averred.
On how Gill would perform as India captain, Vengsarkar was cautious. “We will have to wait and see, to be honest with you, because he’s been around for a long time now. It’s not that he’s a rookie. He has made many tours with the Indian team,” he said.
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No Sarfaraz, no Iyer
Vengsarkar feels that Sarfaraz Khan, who is a member of the India ‘A’ squad touring England, and Shreyas Iyer, who was in fine batting form in the IPL, should have been picked for the Test squad.
“Actually, I am surprised that Sarfaraz – along with Shreyas Iyer – isn’t in the Indian team, because in the Bangalore Test against New Zealand in October, Sarfaraz did magnificently [scoring 150]. I was thinking that Sarfaraz and Iyer would be there, but they couldn’t find a place,” he said.
A former Mumbai captain, Vengsarkar also rued the absence of Hardik Pandya, who had declared himself unavailable for Test matches, as he says his body can’t take the load of the five-day format. “Now, who knows whose body takes it or not? If you are playing cricket, you should be able to play in all formats of the game. You can’t say ‘I can bowl only four overs’ or ‘I can’t bowl 20 overs’,” he said.
Considering it’s a young Indian team with a new captain and a relatively new coach in Gautam Gambhir, it remains to be seen if India would come out unscathed from England.
While not being too optimistic about India’s prospects, Vengsarkar says India will have to make do with the available players. “All of them have been around for a long time. I hope they do extremely well, and I wish them all the best. “I would say it’ll be an interesting series,” he felt.
Winning, or at least drawing, the series will be important for India as it is part of the new 2025–27 WTC cycle.
