Despite talk about doing well overseas, the reality is it will take more time, and a concentrated effort -- and that includes making sporting wickets at home -- for Team India to perform consistently overseas, let alone win, says Bikash Mohapatra.
The lucrative six-week extravaganza left the Indian team tired, and with the World T20 staring just five days later, there was hardly any time to recuperate.
Indian affection borders on extremities. With an overdose of cricket scheduled in the coming months, Bikash Mohapatra says, the humiliation Team India suffered in England will conveniently be forgotten.
To save the fourth Test, and consequently a series whitewash, Team India doesn't need change, but commitment, says Bikash Mohapatra.
With Zaheer Khan and Gautam Gambhir recovering, Team India's injury problems have been taken care of for the time being. But that, says Bikash Mohapatra, is little to assuage the long term problems it faces.
While we wait with bated breath for the upcoming Asia Cup, Bikash Mohapatra dissects the disastrous tour.
The on-going Test series against England was touted as a revenge series for India. A lot was expected of captain MS Dhoni and the seniors, but they have been anything but inspiring. With their dismal show in the current series Team India has fallen to its nadir. After losing the third Test in Kolkata on Sunday, the team needs some intense introspection and are left playing for pride, writes Rediff.com's Bikash Mohapatra.
Technical flaws go unnoticed when the team plays at home. On tour, the players become susceptible. The just-concluded England Test series, says Bikash Mohapatra, points to the fact that this Indian side doesn't have a player who can adapt and alter his game accordingly.
So while going for a series win against Australia can be construed as 'positive mindset', hopes of a revenge win, a 4-0 whitewash might just backfire, says Bikash Mohapatra.
With exactly six months to go for the 2011 World Cup Bikash Mohapatra does a check on Team India readiness for the event.
While batting powerplay is a period for the batting side to up the scoring rate and take advantage of the field restrictions, the Indian team seems to have completely misunderstood the meaning of the same in this World Cup, says Bikash Mohapatra.
Though it retained its home advantage in recent years, the Indian cricket team, says Bikash Mohapatra, is no longer the indomitable force it used to be.
More often than not, in recent times, MS Dhoni's men have successfully been able to put an opening Test defeat behind them and come back strong in the series.
As India celebrates its first ever clean sweep over Australia, Bikash Mohapatra takes a look at how the players performed in the series.
The venue for the second Test is the Basin Reserve in Wellington, traditionally a seamer-friendly ground. Considering the conditions, India needs to sacrifice a batsman to bolster the seam attack. The best Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his men can hope for is winning the second and final Test and squaring the series. Winning, though, says Bikash Mohapatra, will only mitigate the humiliation suffered, and not absolve the team of consistent underperformance.
Minutes before miscreants got into action at the Birmingham City Centre, breaking into shops and looking property, the Indian cricket team was in the area.
With India having comprehensively overpowered the Windies in the first two Tests, the hosts look good to continue their dominance over the visitors. And with a fairly poor record at the Wankhede, it looks a tough job for the Windies to rewrite history, writes Bikash Mohapatra.
For any Indian, who understands the game and cares for the team, it will take a long time getting over the team's debacle in England, says Bikash Mohapatra.
The first round of matches in season four of the IPL was all about captains getting their act right, says Bikash Mohapatra.
Legends Bapu Nadkarni, Chandu Borde E A S Prasanna look back on India's first Test win overseas.
India's bench strength survived a few anxious moments to pocket the one-day series against West indies. Senior Associate Editor Bikash Mohapatra analyses the success stories for Team India in the series.
After a depressing Test series against England, Team India began the four Test series against Australia on a winning note. Bikash Mohapatra, who covered the first Test at the M A Chidambaram stadium in Chennai, identifies the turning points in the game.
Niranjan Shah, manager when India last toured New Zealand, tells Bikash Mohapatra M S Dhon's team has enough experience to emerge triumphant in both the Tests and ODIs again.
One man, who won't be there in the opening game of the ICC WorldT20, was responsible for all four Indian defeats.
India goes into the fourth Test against England on a track that is batsman-friendly, swing-less, as compared to other English grounds, and will assist spinners as the game progresses, says Bikash Mohapatra.
Having never won a Test at the venue and with a tinge of grass on the wicket, India could well be in for a big challenge. Bikash Mohapatra reports from Edgbaston.
Pacer Mohammed Shami, says Bikash Mohapatra, should be allowed enough time to recover and improve upon his existing skills to ensure great returns for Team India.
Mumbai's reputation in the Ranji Trophy, says Bikash Mohapatra, is enough to intimidate opponents and put them under pressure even before they take the field.
An insipid Indian bowling line-up had yet another torrid time as England reached 75 for no loss on the opening day of the fourth and final Test before persistent rain brought a premature end to the proceedings at the Oval on Thursday.
History, and the crowd, will be behind India in the third Test against England, says Bikash Mohapatra, when they set out on Wednesday to regain lost pride and extend their 13-year unbeaten run at the Eden Gardens.
Rahul Dravid batted through with a heroic unbeaten 146 but India failed to avoid follow on and were left with a daunting task of batting out the entire fifth day to save the final Test against England at the Oval on Sunday.
The ongoing series against England may be another lost cause, but not exactly a failure from Team India's point of view. The return to England shores has certainly yielded better results, all the criticism notwithstanding, says Bikash Mohapatra.
There was nothing surprising in the selection of India's final 15 for the upcoming World Cup. It was, says Bikash Mohapatra, done keeping the subcontinent wickets in mind.
The MA Chidambaram stadium has traditionally been a happy hunting ground for Team India but that not the case for Australia, who have struggled at this ground, writes Bikash Mohapatra.
The series against England may be another lost cause, but not exactly a failure from Team India's point of view, says Bikash Mohapatra/Rediff.com
India discard Parthiv Patel tells Bikash Mohapatra he continues to work hard on his game every season because of the motivation of regaining his place in the team.
Australia don't have a quality spinner who can make India suffer. Michael Clarke's team, says Bikash Mohapatra, will do well if it even draws a Test or two!
Despite having a bad start as Team India coach, the experienced Duncan Fletcher will bounce back and put India on the winning track soon enough, writes Bikash Mohapatra.
India's frontline bowlers were humiliated by Northamptonshire's openers as the home side scored 355 for seven when stumps were drawn on the final day of the two-day warm-up game on Saturday.
Bikash Mohapatra picks six individual performances that proved decisive in India beating Australia 4-0 in the just-concluded Test series.
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