English cricket set to rule after India 'embarrassed'- press
England is set to dominate Test cricket after climbing to the top of
the world rankings with a 4-0 whitewash of India, who face a long road
back from the "embarrassing" loss, British newspapers said Tuesday.
"India simply weren't up for the fight," Steve James wrote in The
Daily Telegraph. "England have embarrassed them. There are insufficient
superlatives to describe their performance in this series."
Former England bowler Derek Pringle predicted a hot reception for
India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni after England completed the series
demolition with victory by an innings and eight runs at The Oval on
Monday.
"Dhoni and India will face awkward questions back home following the
scale of this defeat," he wrote in the Telegraph.
"Although they turned up in part here at the Oval, mostly through
Rahul Dravid who all series has stood like the Taj Mahal amid the
wreckage of their cricket, they have been beaten so comprehensively that
holy cows may have to be sacrificed."
Indian hopes of escaping with a draw were dashed when Australian
umpire Rod Tucker adjudged Sachin Tendulkar leg before wicket when on
91. The great batsman remains stranded on 99 international centuries.
"Tendulkar unable to save India from truth", ran The Times' headline.
Simon Barnes, the paper's chief sports reporter, suggested that
Tendulkar's dismissal by England bowler Tim Bresnan may have been a
blessing in disguise.
"People would have forgotten, or at least treated as a matter of
infinitely less significance, that India have lost four Test matches by
humiliating margins," he argued.His colleague - and former England
captain - Michael Atherton backed Tucker's decision, but warned the
umpire "would be advised to avoid Mumbai (Tendulkar's home city) for a
while".
The series win cemented England's reputation in the long form of the
game, and hints at an exciting future for the maturing team, Barnes
added.
"This is not yet a great England team, but they are flushed with
ambition to become one and have made some formidable strides towards
it," he said.
"They are doing so at present without a single obviously and
unquestionably great player. With this England team, greatness is a
matter of spirit."
"England top of the world - but aiming higher", ran The Independent
on its back page.
"Given the way England have played over the past 18 months, what
could possibly go wrong?" the paper asked, before warning against a drop
in the work rate which has pushed the team to the top of the
International Cricket Council rankings.
"However you look at it, England's cricket team last night could
claim the greatest of distinctions. They were indeed the best in the
world," it added.
"For a little while at least that is something that can speak - and
sing - for itself." LONDON, Tuesday (AFP)
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