England’s frailty against spin is well known, and when the initial squad to tour India was announced a few weeks ago, there was little doubt that the hosts would equip themselves meticulously to skittle out the visitors on rank turners. But Kevin Pietersen’s inclusion has changed the equation and has bolstered this English side. Nevertheless, spin will still be India’s primary weapon, and a lot will depend on the duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha if the Indian bowling department is to pick twenty wickets. Their recent performance at home speaks volumes of the destruction the two can cause, even against formidable sides.Zaheer Khan has spearheaded the Indian attack since the last few years, and while he continues to play a pivotal role in the line-up, his decline during recent times has been ominous. Since the last one year, the seamers have contributed very little in India’s quest to maintain a winning momentum at home. Fortunately though, Ashwin and Ojha have been instrumental in getting the job done, and it can safely be said that they’ve made best use of the available conditions. It’s hard to imagine India’s plight, even at home, in the absence of the duo.
Indian bowlers at home since October 2011
| Player | M | I | Wkts | Avge |
| Ravichandran Ashwin | 5 | 10 | 40 | 18.50 |
| Pragyan Ojha | 5 | 10 | 33 | 20.90 |
| Umesh Yadav | 4 | 8 | 14 | 28.92 |
| Ishant Sharma | 3 | 6 | 5 | 67.40 |
Although it can be argued that Ashwin and Ojha get to bowl a lot more overs than the frontline seamers, the averages and strike-rates justify the efficiency of these two. While Ashwin has been Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s go-to man, Ojha is slowly but surely cementing his place in the Indian Test squad, at least at home. But it’s been a while since the two have come face to face with an intimidating batting unit, and the series against England will no doubt test their mettle.
On the other hand, it will be a litmus test for the English batsmen as well. Alistair Cook, Ian Bell, Jonathan Trott, Matt Prior, and of course Pietersen, have all been indomitable with the bat in the last few years. However, among current players, only Cook has an average of over 40 in Asia. That average stands at 54.83 if only the last three years are taken into account. Apart from Pietersen and Cook, the rest have a history of struggling against spinners. During their last few visits to Asia, the English batsmen have conceded a considerable number of wickets to the likes of Saeed Ajmal, Rangana Herath and Shakib Al Hasan.
In the last five years, England has faced India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in Asian conditions, and it can safely be said that only Cook and Pietersen have looked formidable.
Statistics of English batsmen in Asia in the last five years
| Player | M | Runs | Avge | 100s |
| Alistair Cook | 12 | 1057 | 48.04 | 3 |
| Kevin Pietersen | 12 | 818 | 40.90 | 2 |
| Ian Bell | 12 | 705 | 35.25 | 1 |
| Matt Prior | 12 | 531 | 35.40 | 0 |
| Jonathan Trott | 7 | 490 | 35.00 | 1 |
In the absence of Pietersen, and considering the fact that Cook has recently taken over the added responsibility of captaincy from Andrew Strauss, the stage was all set for Ashwin and Ojha to run through the English line-up. But with their best player back in the side, the contest appears to be much more even now. Although it’d be too naïve to term Pietersen as England’s messiah at this juncture, the fact remains that his inclusion has added enormous stability into the side. Like former English skipper Michael Vaughan rightly pointed out, England’s middle-order looked ‘green and vulnerable’ without Pietersen. Now though, a lot of options have opened up.
In a month’s time, the English and the Indian players will get back in the groove of Test cricket. It’d be interesting to see how smoothly Pietersen reintegrates into the side. On the other hand, Ashwin will have to switch gears from T20 – a format he’s consistently been a part of since the last few weeks. Ojha too will look to make a statement and get a feel of the big stage, as he prepares to play under stalwart VVS Laxman for Hyderabad against Punjab in the Ranji Trophy, a few days prior to the commencement of the first Test. All in all, the battle between the English batsmen and the Indian spinners is all set to begin.
(Karthik Parimal, a Correspondent with CricketCountry, is a cricket aficionado and a worshipper of the game. He idolises Steve Waugh and can give up anything, absolutely anything, just to watch a Kumar Sangakkara cover drive. He can be followed on Twitter at https://twitter.com/
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