So, one more Test victory – ninth this year for Team India in the longest format of the game. Yes, Virat Kohli’s boys are looking invincible. Be it West Indies or New Zealand or England, in front of Kohli’s men, they are subjected to abject humiliation on the ground. To take into account, the recently concluded Tests series against Alastair Cook’s team, hardly did the tourists pose any challenge to India that was beleaguered by injuries to some of its senior players. Cook and his team have been decimated by Kohli & Company, the latter clinching the series at Chennai today.
It’s time to celebrate the rejuvenation of Indian cricket. But hold on! Dear Kohli, without taking anything away from the Indian Test team that looks a solid unit, the people who are going ga-ga over you now, would not waste a second, coming hard on you, if you don’t do well abroad. Yes, your team did beat West Indies on its home soil, but even you would second that the Caribbeans are no longer a dangerous team in Tests.
Home sweet home, has been hospitable enough for the Indian team having laid out tracks that helped the spinners and making lives difficult for the Kiwis and Englishmen. Once again, their vulnerability to anything that turns has been exposed. There’s no harm taking advantage of home conditions. Even we face the heat, when we travel abroad.
But the invincibility of Team India will be tested under tough conditions in England, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. It is left to be seen whether the current Test side has the character to take on strong adversities. Remember, these teams will be ready to take on an energetic Indian team once it lands in their countries. If we take South Africa, a thrashing in the Test series last year in India, will be etched in its memories and once the Indians are there, one thing for sure, the South Africans won’t be gracious hosts on the ground.
The Aussies are set to tour India soon, and it is more than certain that they won’t find going easy. Beating India in India is perhaps one of the toughest assignments, sides all over the world face. If there’s a repeat of the English series against Australia, India, the Number 1 Test side will gain more points to strengthen its position on top.
But if a team is to be called Number 1 in the true sense of the term, then countering alien conditions and winning should be part of its resume. Talk to any expert, and he would endorse the importance of winning abroad and that applies to every team. History is witness to innumerable one-sided wins back home for India. But the same team fails to live up to the expectations once it is placed before acrimonious challenges. Of course, Sourav Ganguly’s team did rewrite history, but barring some exceptions, Indians have not been great tourists.
There’s no denying that Kohli has a pool of talents in the team, having tremendous potential. But their real test will be under scanner once they play outside the sub-continent. Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin won’t be provided with rank turners out there. They will have to fight for their wickets. Similarly, the class of batsmen like M Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara and even Kohli will come under scrutiny on the hard and bouncy tracks. The road ahead will be full of impediments for Kohli’s India.
Yes, it has indeed been a clinical performance by India against England. And Kohli and his men deserve kudos. But even a die-hard Indian fan will be waiting for that day when Kohli’s team looks unbeatable abroad, especially outside the sub-continent.
Great job, Team India, but after the home series against Bangladesh and Australia, set up the momentum for the difficult job ahead. It’s time to celebrate, but not to get carried away.