India did well at the Rose Bowl, it is just that England were better once again. Ajinkya Rahane top-scored for the second time in three matches and Suresh Raina's 40 off 19 balls was the defining innings for India.
India's batting future looks bright as there seems to be enough talent in waiting. The fielding too looked vastly improved in difficult conditions.
The bowling is a cause for worry. The average speed of the bowlers is around 125 kmph, which is military medium. Where are the young guns who can bowl at 140 kmph? Even when MS Dhoni is shuffling his bowlers, there is no variation in speed or bounce to catch the batsmen off-guard. Apart from Praveen Kumar, no other bowler looks capable of getting wickets. India need a couple of genuine seaming all-rounders. Where are the Kapil Devs? India must find replacements for Irfan Pathan and Ajit Agarkar.
On the other hand, England have a regular supply of players and their replacements. Even without Kevin Pietersen, Andrew Strauss, Paul Collingwood and Matt Prior, England's batting is formidable. While they aren't in the league of Ian Botham or Freddie Flintoff, Stuart Broad and Tim Bresnan are match-winning all-rounders. And the bowling has a lot of variation.
Cook was impressive in his newly-appointed job as captain of the one-ay side. In a 23-over game, England could have opted for their T20 captain, Broad, to lead them, but they stuck to Cook, and he got the job done. He kept his nerve and one end up, while Craig Kieswetter and Ian Bell did the hitting.
{{/usCountry}}Cook was impressive in his newly-appointed job as captain of the one-ay side. In a 23-over game, England could have opted for their T20 captain, Broad, to lead them, but they stuck to Cook, and he got the job done. He kept his nerve and one end up, while Craig Kieswetter and Ian Bell did the hitting.
{{/usCountry}}Sporting Excellence