The new look India and what has changed

As Team India steamrolled England in the third Test of the 5-match series to take a 2-0 lead, it showed a clear shift in the manner in which the team used to play and win previously. As India’s unbeaten streak at home extended to 17 matches, the second longest with the record being 20. Here we look at the contributing factors that have given them a dominant edge over their opponents in recent times:

Balanced bowling combination

If a department has improved the most it has to be the bowling. India had an infamous name for making tailor-made pitches and winning matches unleashing their spinners. But recent performances show otherwise and the touring teams like New Zealand and England would confirm the fact.

Instead of square turners, matches are being played on sporting wickets and the team’s performance on those pitches show the depth and quality. Where Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have constantly excelled on any pitch offered to them, the pacers now chip in with useful aggressive bowling picking up wickets in tandem with the spinners.

Mohammad Shami and Umesh Yadav, both have the experience and know the line and length they need to bowl on to excel on these wickets and that was evident from the two recent performances in the Rajkot and Mohali Test.

The contribution of coach Anil Kumble is undeniable, as who knows the importance of line and length better than Kumble himself, whose sorcery largely depended on intelligent variation of the line and length with a little mix of spin. His vast experience seems to be brushing off well with this team and the performances speak for themselves.

Lower order’s contribution with the bat

The lower order have shown a huge improvement when it comes to contributing to the team’s cause, a trait that was missing in almost any of the previous Indian teams. The tail-enders failed to provide much of support when it came to adding some runs lower down the order and were always considered the expendables but that is the case no longer.

Be it the recently completed India-New Zealand ODI series or the ongoing India-England Test series, the lower order has displayed the solidity that was lacking previously. The recent performances have pointed out that this team can bat as deep as No. 10, the Mohali Test being a very bright proof of the fact.

Ashwin and Jadeja were always considered useful with the bat and the latest addition to the team, off-spinner Jayant Yadav has also shown correct technique and attitude when it comes to batting, thus making the lower order look formidable and England had a bitter taste of it at Mohali.

The technique and shot selection of a batsman gives out more about his batting than the runs he scores. Many players play quickfire knocks in the T20s, but on many occasions fail to emulate it in the longest format. This backing from the likes of Ashwin, Jadeja and Jayant has helped the team excel despite two of their key batsmen Murali Vijay and Ajinkya Rahane not scoring runs.

Captain Kohli

Where we saw a much more animated captain in Virat Kohli during the initial stages, he seems to have calmed himself. Now we have a much cooler captain, but with the right dose of aggression, just what the doctor prescribed off Kohli.

Nowadays we see Kohli conferring his decisions with his teammates. A changed attitude can be seen when it comes to making bowling or fielding changes. These are the traits that make a great captain and he is certainly showing the signs of building himself to be remembered as one in the future.

It is true that a captain is as good as his team, and Kohli is fortunate to have this bunch of eager, young cricketers who are hungry and willing to go the extent to leave a mark. That combined with his leadership promises to produce a formidable team that settles for nothing but victories.