Yeah,agreed to an extent.
But these are all experienced batsman + Raina (who is average in anycase) who have been there and done it all so better is expected from them.
The bowling was nothing extraordinary yesterday in terms of building pressure or Wicket taking balls tbh, and Dhoni showed how pressure could be pushed back on them too.
Experienced players still get down when they're losing mate. Yes, they're more experienced so they know they can dig themselves out of holes but while I may well expose my complete lack of Indian holes knowledge, this is probably the biggest mental hole they've dug for themselves in quite a while.
Yesterdays bowling didn't need to be as good as South Africa's. When you're 2-0 down in a series and getting thrashed at that, two things are possible; players dig deep and find that something extra, or they turn up at the ground for the next match already beaten. This is all on an individual player to player basis.
Take Sehwag for an example. He's just come off an injury and has played no international cricket for goodness knows how long. He's going to practise surrounded by a team on the downer, trying to hone his eye and technique in the nets etc all the while surrounded by guys not quite there mentally. Maybe the net bowler only bowls at 90%, or maybe Raina is in the net next to him doing **** things Raina does. You pick up on these things and it's quite easy for it to creep into your mind and affect you. A moment is all that's needed in international sport to determine success or failure.
Then on gameday, you're facing the buggers who've smacked your side senseless, and you know they're going to be fired up. Your preparation has consisted of trying to get your game going while surrounded by a miserable side staring at a whitewash, and this is your first game in yonks.
Tendulkar is another example. He's in crap form. It happens. He's also on reputation the main man in the batting. Like Sehwag, he's trying to get his game back in a mentally defeated side. Hell, maybe he himself is thinking "**** this ****, whatever we do these English buggers seem to have an answer."
England's bowling might not have been up to their usual standard, but they got away with it because in the Indian mindset maybe the English were going to bowl like the West Indies of yesteryear.
