India wrapped up a thoroughly convincing victory in the third Test in Mohali to take a 2-0 lead, which means, no matter what happens in the remaining two matches, the home team cannot lose the series against England. So, the best England can do now is level the series by winning the Test matches in Mumbai and Chennai, while India will look to go up to that ruthless level.
Virat Kohli has led from the front so far in this series, batting brilliantly and making sound decisions on the field. While there have been a few eyebrows raised over a few fielding positions placed by the India captain, at the end of the day, it has worked, which is all you can ask for.
It is clear, Kohli the captain is someone who likes control over going on the attack from ball one. Especially when the wickets are so flat – and all three of them have been good for batting – the best way to pick up a batsman is by drying up the runs, something Alastair Cook also firmly believes in.
That has made for some attritional, but fascinating cricket, and it will be interesting to see what pitches the Wankhede and Chidambaram Stadiums throw up.
To beat an England team on pitches that haven't turned too much so far would have given India great satisfaction, but maybe it is time to get those wickets drawing a nice angle every time R Ashwin, Jayant Yadav or Ravindra Jadeja bowls.
As interesting as the Test series has been so far, it will be nice to see a pitch that starts to take proper turn from day three – not one that turns square from the opening day, but gradually, starts spinning – just to see how the batsmen, from both teams, cope with that particular challenge.
India have fared really well with all the challenges that have been thrown at them by England, losing the toss or the conditions, with their bowlers, in particular, finding ways to put the pressure on the opposition batsmen, even when there has been little to no help for them from the track.
That is the sign of a great team, and while this India side's true class will only become clear when they start winning matches away from home – they have done that against Sri Lanka and West Indies already – the fact that they can dominate a world-class team like England, even when the pitches have not exactly been the most conducive, does bode well for the future.
India vs England schedule:
4th Test:
Date: Thursday, December 8 to Monday December 12.
Time: 9.30am IST (4am GMT, 11pm ET).
Venue: Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
5th Test:
Date: Friday, December 16 to Tuesday, December 20.
Time: 9.30am IST (4am GMT, 11pm ET).
Venue: MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
TV Guide: India: Star Sports HD1, Star Sports HD3, Star Sports 1, Star Sports 3. UK: Sky Sports 2. Middle East: OSN Sports Cricket HD. New Zealand: Sky Sport 3. Canada, USA: Willow TV. Australia: Fox Sports 1. Singapore: Star Cricket.
