Kevin Pietersen must have wondered what sort of Indian juggernaut has hit his team in India. The England captain, so new to his job, began with wins against South Africa, but has been rudely brought to earth in this country.

There is no doubt that he and his team are up against a rejuvenated home outfit that seemingly cannot put a foot wrong. There must be Indian fans wishing that the World Cup is played in the next month or so, for their team would be the favourite to win it. However, what could happen in 2011 when the World Cup takes place in the subcontinent and in Sri Lanka, is another matter.

The present England touring party just didn’t have the mental strength or the personnel to beat India. Pietersen has been talking about the importance of his top batsmen making big hundreds and having substantial partnerships. These are easier said than done, as the batsmen do not seem to have the ability to achieve either.

The desperation in the England ranks was obvious. The leading all-rounder Andrew Flintoff, it was argued, needs to be sent up the order as he is not good enough against spin bowling. So what would have prevented the Indian captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni from introducing Harbhajan Singh into the attack the moment Flintoff comes into bat?

Somehow the country that introduced ODIs has not been able to gain the sort of mastery in this format that one expected it to. True, it has reached the World Cup finals thrice but never succeeded in winning it.

England’s cricketers – especially the Occidentals – are not the most athletic or flexible and it is this reason why the fielding has never been of a very high class. That the present party has three with oriental backgrounds, in Samit Patel, Owais Shah and Ravi Bopara, seems to be an acceptance that England’s thinking on the requirements of ODI cricket is going through a transformation. Maybe by the 2011 World Cup there would be fewer natural Englishmen playing for the country. More players with oriental and West Indian backgrounds might well be the order of the day!