Glory after 21 years

The Indian team emulated its performance in the 1986 tour of England by winning this series and making sure that the Pataudi trophy remains in India.Quite a few noteworthy performances were seen in this series especially Zaheer Khan and Dinesh Karthik.Not that the others were useless,they too had contributed magnificiently,just that these two were consistent in terms of performance.

Amongst the most scintillating moments,the century by Jumbo,our dear old Kumble,stands out for its grit and effort.Who said that bowlers make lousy batsmen?Some of his cover drives were text book shots and beauties to watch.A significant achievement in his last series in England,getting a hundred,a dream for all bowlers that turns into reality for very few like Wasim Akram and Chaminda Vaas.Poor Warne,for all his amazing talents,the three figures eluded him all his career.His highest score was 99,something that would be excruciatingly painful in hindsight,when you sit by the fire with a cup of coffee and a newspaper.Kumble may not be as gifted as Warne but his hard work more than made up for it by helping him achieve his dream.

And,to add to that,who can forget the devastative piece of swing bowling dished out by Zaheer and RP Singh in the second test that stood out for its agression,innovation and perseverance,bamboozling the English batsmen into playing down the wrong line.A very improved and consistent bowling performance from the team which was found wanting in that department whenever we toured overseas.

Of course,how can we leave out Sachin and Sourav for their awesome batting displays,though it was in patches doesn't matter.Dravid's astute captaincy came to the fore in this series though in hindsight few decisions could have been better.All said and done,the team has picked itself after the disastrous World Cup campaign and shown that we are no longer wimps when it comes to travelling abroad.A truly cherishable moment that will remain etched forever among India's greatest triumphs.

P.S:Umpiring standards have seen a new low in this series.I have to refer my dictionary if I have to write about those moronic decisions without using unparliamentary words.