Sitting pretty on their 1-0 lead after the victory at Trent Bridge, India
will be looking to end a 21-year-long drought of a series triumph in England
as they square up against the hosts in the third and final cricket Test at the
Oval here tomorrow.
Even as the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid,
Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman and Anil Kumble will be looking for
their crowning glory moment in England -- being a part of a victorious Indian
team -- in the evening of their respective careers, they need to take care of
a jinx that has been plaguing the side in recent years.
Too often in the past, India has taken a lead in the series
only to allow the opposition to turn the tables on them.
If a dream win in Adelaide against Australia in 2003 was followed
by a soul-shattering defeat in Melbourne in the very next Test, India's first-ever
Test win in Pakistan in 2004 at Multan was followed by a nerve-wrecking defeat
at Lahore.
More recently, India squandered a huge opportunity in South
Africa early this year when, when after beating the hosts at Johannesburg
in the first Test, they promptly lost the next one at Durban before losing the
series in Cape Town.
"We have to be consistent. We have to back our good performances
by some more good performances. We will celebrate this win, but at the same
time, we will keep our mind focused on the final Test and on what we need to
do there", Indian captain Rahul Dravid said.
|