Much was expected of the highly fancied Indian playing unit when it embarked on its current tour to England, but the complete disintegration and humiliation of the team has come as a surprise to all. While England have looked ruthless and energetic in its bid to claim the No. 1 ranking, India on the other hand has looked lethargic and apathetic as they surrendered their top ranking pitifully with their first test series loss since going down to Sri Lanka back in 2008.

PakPassion.net spoke with former Pakistani captain Mushtaq Mohammad to garner his thoughts on India’s sudden reversal in form. The Gujarat born all-rounder was understandably taken aback by the results in the series, with England leading the Pataudi Trophy 3-0 with one test remaining at The Oval. “It is not only surprising but also very disappointing too. One of the best batting line-ups in the world has failed miserably and disappointed all their fans and supporters.”

Mushtaq who himself played in four tours to England, was unequivocal in his views on why India had struggled on this tour. “There are a couple of reasons that come to mind. I have watched India play in all its matches on this tour and what I have found is that they look tired.” Mushtaq felt the Indian bowlers in particular looked worn-out with a lack of backup options. “The bowlers before this tour were in the West Indies and were over-bowled as Zaheer Khan and other bowlers were not there to release them. From that series they came straight to England and went into the test series without any preparation.”

The right handed middle order batsmen who hit two centuries in England felt the Indian batsmen were not given an opportunity to familiarise themselves with the English playing conditions. “Their batsmen never had a chance to settle down and score runs. They only played one three day game and then it was straight into the test match. This is one of the reasons why the Indian batting has failed.” Mushtaq said.

This series was built up as the clash of the champions, but it has certainly not lived up to the hype and expectations. “For any major series such as this one, if you do not have proper preparation, it is bound to come back to hurt you and this is exactly what has happened,” Mushtaq said. “They must realise that test cricket is very tough and it’s not over in a day and you have to survive and battle for five days.”

While India’s bowling was dealt a major blow with injuries to Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh hence affecting their ability to claim 20 wickets in a test match, it was the batting flop, which surprised Mushtaq most. “I am surprised that the Indian batting line-up which has got the reputation of 'the best in the world' has failed to reach 300 in any innings thus far,” said the 57-test veteran.

The body language and attitude of the Indian players has also come under scrutiny, however Mushtaq felt this was also as a result of fatigue. “You have got to have that enthusiasm to compete in any kind of competition. Mentally and physically, they are very tired and it is showing on their faces and bodies.” Mushtaq further added, “You can tell a lot by how a player thinks and react to different game situations, but due to tiredness they have had no answer to England.”

Mushtaq was understandably scathing in his attack on the BCCI and its lack of respect for test match cricket. “The BCCI is very much responsible for poor planning of this tour. They thought their cricketers were machines and are being treated like machines. They (the players) can't play day in day out, they are human beings and they do get tired both physically and mentally and they do need rest which is very important.” Mushtaq hoped that the lessons learnt from this tour would be realised. “Everything is right in front of them (the BCCI), it is all there. They need to take note and plan better in future.”

The criticism was not exclusively targeted at the board, as Mushtaq felt the Indian players were also responsible for putting competitions such as IPL ahead of representing India in the test arena. “I also blame the players for wanting the money in the IPL. They put their body through all kind of strain and pain and didn't think about the tour of England which was a very important tour.” He further opined, “I hope they learn their lesson that too much IPL cricket and unnecessary cricket spoils the ranking of the team. Players start taking injuries on tour as they do not have enough interest and they play too much cricket. The body needs rest.”

Looking ahead to the final test match in the series at The Oval, Mushtaq felt a whitewash was on the cards if the Indian batting unit did not show some rearguard action. “I can certainly see 4-0 writing on the board, but the Indian batting has got to stand up to the English bowling.”

Mushtaq who also captained Northamptonshire was full of praise for the England side and their achievements over the last couple of years leading up to this moment. “England is a formidable side at the moment and they have rightly occupied the No.1 ranking in the world. The domination of their team has been seen over the past 2 years.” Since reclaiming the Ashes in 2009 it has been a steady rise for England as they have built a strong all-round squad of players to chose from. Since May 2009, over 30 test matches England have won 19 and lost only a meagre 4 test matches including back-to-back Ashes victories. “They are on the up and on a high and I can certainly see India facing further humiliation at The Oval.”

The tour has been such a disastrous one for MS Dhoni and his men, and Mushtaq felt the end could not come any sooner. “They have lost by such miserable margins, that I am sure they can't wait for this tour to be over.”