But it is certainly time to give honest answers to some questions — unpleasant they might appear at the initial glance — that have popped up during the last three matches.
Three issues have hurt India in this series so far — fielding, catching and the third seamer option. Looking at them in that order, India will have to urgently address their woeful performance on the field.
It was a dismal sight to see the Indian fielders amble around the outfield like toddlers on the park when their English counterparts ran around and fielded with enthusiasm.
Agile outfielders
England's outfielders Alistair Cook, James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Chris Tremlett have been agile and committed in saving every possible run. They chase and try to stop the ball as if their survival on this planet depends on it.
The Indian outfield features Ramesh Powar, Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel, and Rudra Pratap Singh. This set, in contrast, provides the perfect escort to the ball till the boundary and their dives most of the time only help in pushing the ball to the ropes. They have also been struggling to throw the ball up to the stumps from the boundary line, especially in bigger grounds like Rose Bowl and Edgbaston.
That India will have to play all the remaining matches in Test venues that features stadiums with larger boundaries might not be a comforting thought for the think tank.
Kaarthick’s antics
Then there is Dinesh Kaarthick. Rated as one of the better Indian fielders, the Tamil Nadu youngster comes up with all sort of dramatic moves on the field. The way he grabbed the catch of Ian Bell in the third one-dayer at Edgbaston was an example. It was a simple chance by any stretch of imagination and Kaarthick made it look spectacular with a needless tumble after grabbing the ball.
India have also walked miles behind England in catching. In the last two matches they have dropped five catches and most of them were sitters. R P Singh, usually a fielder with a safe pair of hands, grassed Cook at square leg when the batsman was on 15 and he went on to add 35 runs to that score. It might not appear a big addition, but in the end-calculations it played a part in helping England reach a total that proved beyond the reach of India. Old hands could be pardoned for being a step slower, but youngsters like R P Singh overrunning or miscalculating the catches definitely need an explanation.
The lack of an able third seamer too has hindered India in this series. In the first one-dayer Ajit Agarkar failed to back the new ball pair. The Mumbaikar leaked runs and looked completely flat even in his first spell. That prompted the team management to replace him with Munaf.
Munaf under cloud
Munaf, though he too conceded far too many runs, grabbed wickets, but that little solace was also eradicated in the last match when the paceman could not support the bowlers upfront. His fitness too remains under question, as he never quite managed to crank up the pace in the two games.
It might force the management to revert to the four-bowler policy, trusting Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh to bowl 10 overs between them. They cannot do any worse either. India will have to find solutions for all these issues, and they do not have the luxury of extra hours with them.