India have lost three of their 6 matches at the Wankhede
Stadium since the turn of the century but are still more than capable of take a
firm stranglehold on this series by taking the second test of four in Mumbai
against a reeling England side who still have the same questions against spin
following their heavy defeat just a week ago in Ahmedabad.
While that game was very typical of an England defeat in
Asia – India posted a giant first innings total, drilled through a capitulating
English batting lineup, with enough runs in reserve to take as much time as
they wanted through the second innings before a comfortable target of less than
100 (a near identical repeat of their first test in the UAE).
What that being yet another defeat for England in Asia, what
could possibly be done to change? Firstly, as much as it seems to be ridiculous
to hope on what’s just chance, the toss had a massive effect, with India able
to post a total at their leisure on a home pitch and then face a very tired
England outfit who had been fielding for 2 days in the heat, while the absence
of a top class spinner apart from Graeme Swann – Samit Patel was not upto the
job - allowed India to have far too much
comfort in the first two days with a dry, paceless surface rendering Jimmy
Anderson and a below form Tim Bresnan/Stuart Broad near useless.
With Monty Panesar in the side England are theoretically halfway
along to sorting their problems in the bowling department, and India’s poor
recent record here – they could easily have lost to the West Indies, albeit
that being an already won game – then you can suddenly make a bit of a case for
the visitors, and if Alastair Cook’s men can win the toss then the prospect of
bowling last on what is a viciously turning pitch on days 4 and 5 gives real
incentive.
However it should be remembered that England’s main problem
is playing the spin and the absence of Stuart Finn on a pitch which does offer seamers
more assistance than Ahmedabad before the surface begins to crumble is a
massive blow, and with two of the three seamers struggling badly already, the
pressure is on to restain India’s first innings score before they’ve even
started and that looks a bridge too far once again.
Advice
3 pts India (10/11 general)
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