A decade ago, a touring Indian team would be accompanied with the epithet "Tigers at home, lambs abroad." Only under the leadership of Sourav Ganguly and John Wright was that tag removed, as India started to win test matches away from the subcontinent. Series wins though remained elusive, bar a 2-1 victory in Pakistan in 2004, and the expected walkover in Zimbabwe against a team blighted by politics. The win in the West Indies was a long anticipated one, and a result that will be heartening to every Indian fan - but the ICC rankings provide a sharp reality check. Despite India’s series win, the side slipped down a place in the rankings, having been expected to win against a team as poorly ranked as the West Indies by a margin greater than 1-0. 

It highlights one fact that has stood out in recent times: this team should be performing far better than it currently is. India’s win at Sabina Park was only its second in ten tests played so far this year, with a large number of games going down as "Should have, could have" cases. Too often, India have been guilty of taking the foot off the opposition’s throat and losing the advantage in key situations. In a series deciding test at Karachi, Pakistan had been reeling at 39/6 after an hour of play; against a threadbare, inexperienced England side at home India underperformed at Nagpur and Mumbai; and at Antigua and St. Lucia the West Indies ended the tests with 1 and 3 wickets separating them from defeats. All of these saw situations where India seemed to be assured of victory, only for the batting or bowling (or both) to then let the advantage slip.  

Selection worries remain in both departments. Yuvraj Singh has struggled for form, and Laxman, Sehwag and Dhoni have often been ‘hit or miss’. Pathan’s bowling has regressed alarmingly to the point that he cannot be considered a spearhead any longer, while Sreesanth and VRV Singh are still very raw and unreliable. India’s next test series will be in South Africa against a strong, aggressive unit in conditions that will play to India’s traditional weaknesses, bounce and movement, and these issues need to be addressed. Against a weaker West Indian side, they may have been covered up by the form of Sehwag, Jaffer and Dravid, and Kumble’s mastery on slower wickets, but those holes will be quickly exacerbated on the faster surfaces in Durban and Cape Town against the likes of Makhaya Ntini. 

Since Greg Chappell took over as coach almost a year ago the Indian team has made some massive strides - but they’ve been evident mainly in the shorter form of the game, where youngsters have stood up, and innovation and experimentation has often paid off. The side is yet to be properly tested in the longer format, and the upcoming tour to South Africa in November will show just how much India has progressed or regressed under the Chappell-Dravid combination. India are yet to win a test match in South Africa, and previous tours there have often seen Indian teams return in disarray. Since South Africa’s return to international cricket, India have often struggled to match the Proteas in tests, being blown away by the fire of Allan Donald in 1996 and then being rocked by scandals and Shaun Pollock in 2001.

This Indian team though seems several notches above past touring sides, both in terms of ability and mental strength, and with the promise shown by the likes of Munaf Patel on this tour, and the ability of the batting lineup. Indian fans will have high expectations for the test series, especially after breaking the drought of overseas series wins. Whether or not the team can live up to these expectations in a few months’ time will speak volumes about just how good this unit is.

The bigger issue in the short term will be the two upcoming ODI tournaments; a tri-series against Sri Lanka and South Africa next month, and then the Champions Trophy at home. Greg Chappell has repeatedly stressed the buildup for the 2007 World Cup, a tournament that will probably determine his long term future as India’s coach. Success at home against England and Pakistan was followed by an abysmal showing in the West Indies, and India will have some lost ground to make up in these coming series. It’s worth remembering the ‘choker’ tag India has often carried in one day series in the last few years, with their abysmal finals record under Sourav Ganguly. For Dravid and Chappell, the ODIs ahead will provide the perfect chance to shed that label in preparing for the World Cup ahead.

(Salil Benegal is based between Chicago and Singapore, and switches between studying chemistry and freelancing (or trying to) in cricket and travel writing. A strong fan of both the Indian and Australian cricket teams, Salil also maintains a cricket-centric blog at http://www.sbenegal.blogspot.com)

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