Raina-day blues for Indian side reduced to shambles

India arrived as champions of the world in both Test and one-day cricket but Friday’s defeat means they will return home without any series win from this tour. Indeed unless they sharpen up today at Lord’s and later this week in Cardiff they may suffer the ignominy of failing to win a single match.

It is possible, especially with dreadful weather forecast and their current cast being youthful, inexperienced and in some cases clearly not good enough.

It has been a difficult tour but they now resemble a shambles, much like England have in the past at the end of tours to Australia.

That is a problem with scheduling a one-day series after the Test matches. What should act as a teaser, whetting the appetite for more substantial affairs, is bolted on at the end merely as a cash-generating afterthought.

Not that it matters to Suresh Raina. He was bombarded with short stuff in the Test matches and found wanting. He lacks the necessary technique to counter a quick, bouncing ball and suffered both physically and psychologically as England’s tall men targeted his body and let him know it.

Not much has changed in the one-day series and his dismissal on Friday, edging a wild swipe with his team struggling at 58-5, was the act of a scrambled brain. His struggles neatly sum up India’s this summer.

He is one of the feted elite, so Duncan Fletcher has plenty of work to do if he remains as coach.

However not all is fine with England. Eoin Morgan, their most destructive, inventive and tactically shrewd thinker, will be out injured until just before Christmas and Alastair Cook, a novice captain, showed an alarming caution when he removed James Anderson from the attack to save overs for the end. A more aggressive personality would have gone flat out to dismiss India completely because then there are no overs at the end.

At least he has developed a wider range of shots and his partnership with Craig Kieswetter could develop. Kieswetter needs to attack but judiciously. He hits well over midwicket and especially well through and over the off-side with quicksilver hands that generate great bat speed and power. His natural inclination to step to leg-side must be controlled.

Ravi Bopara has helped his cause as well. It was a shame he was dismissed near the end on Friday as he had calmly ensured England did not panic and lose. This series is good for England as it exposes the next generation to pressure and helps create a much larger squad of talent.

One problem, though, is that no country will offer such seamer friendly conditions as the England bowlers have enjoyed in the past few weeks. What can the batsmen and bowlers do on flat, low bouncing tracks in India, against Pakistan in the UAE, and in Sri Lanka? This winter we shall learn and that will be more revealing than this ritual emasculation of India.