England Claim The Final Frontier
England came to India amid hype that the Indians were in a destructive mood to hand them a similar treatment they received a year back in 2011. The series was widely publicised as the ‘revenge’ for the 0-4 drubbing handed to India when they last toured England. India won the first Test at Ahmedabad by nine wickets after forcing England to follow-on. For the hosts, everything seemed to be going according to the script but a rude shock awaited them in Mumbai where they were defeated after being trapped in a spin web that they had created for their guests. Monty Panesar took 11 wickets in the match while Kevin Pietersen slammed a century in the first innings. England took the game by 10 wickets, drawing the series level. Jolted by the blow, the Indian team management went into an overdrive to produce a pitch that will suit them to the hilt. India skipper MS Dhoni’s demands were met with a stubborn and resolved pitch curator who refused to budge. Alastair Cook played a captain’s knock to lead his team to another win to take a surprise 2-1 lead in the series as Indian camp went into a tizzy. The focus shifted to the fourth and final Test in Nagpur which ended into a tame draw as England completed a series win in India for the first time in 28 years
