Andrew Strauss’ Hundred for Somerset Against India Negates Zaheer Khan’s Taunt

There is always the danger in verbal warfare because sometimes it can be a psychological tool but at other times, can only get one player fired up against another.

Andrew Strauss

Although tour matches are not always the fair indicator of results in a series, it has to be said that tour match between Somerset and the Indian cricket at Taunton saw taunts failing against the England Test captain. Strauss made the decision to be temporarily loaned from Middlesex to Somerset for this match in particular with the intention to score some runs and get some his feet moving before the four match Test series begins shortly. It was Strauss’ way of using the one opportunity to head into the Test series with a great deal more confidence than would have been accorded coming on the back of bleak runs against Sri Lanka.

The Indian spearhead, Zaheer Khan, wasted no time in indicating that the move was a desperate one on the part of Andrew Strauss, clearly suggesting that the England Test captain was feeling the heat and was beginning to have doubts about his own game ahead of the big series with the no.1 Test rank on the line. Zaheer, being a left arm fast bowler, reckoned he had the clear advantage if Strauss had to resort to such measures.

To Strauss’ credit, he was ready to take it on the chin, face the music with both accolades and criticism coming his way in the wake of his decision in order to look at the larger picture which was ensuring that he went into the Test series in the best possible frame of mind to take on India and their current no.1 Test team tag. For that, Strauss had to lead from the front. What will help tremendously will be the seventy-eight runs he scored in the first innings and the century he made in the second against an Indian pace attack that will remain largely the same through the India England Test match series.

Although Strauss could still fail at the big test, in the opinion of many, he had already led by example because in the international cricket world, not only do players get few chances to work on their technique during their busy cricket calendar schedules but also, do not often see the point in turning up for a domestic match. That Strauss chose to temporarily change the emblem on his shirt if only to get more time in the middle against bowlers of caliber who he will face more often, and at their freshest given that he is the opener, speaks of a rather brave captain. Had Strauss failed in the tour match, the voices of those questions the logic of the captain exposing himself early to the visiting Indian team would have only got louder. Now the only voice being heard is concern for the Indian cricket team who would still have to lose the series by a 2-0 margin for England to usurp the no.1 Test team title from them.