India vs England: Playing four pacers sign of ‘New India’, says Dilip Vengsarkar | Cricket News – Times of India

MUMBAI: If there is one man who can relate to how Virat Kohli’s victorious bunch was feeling on the famed Lord’s balcony on Monday, it is Dilip Vengsarkar.
The former India captain has slammed three consecutive Test hundreds at Lord’s (in 1979, ’82 & ’86), the most by any visiting batsman at the historic venue. In the summer of 1986, his third and final ton at this ground, an unbeaten 126 followed by a 33, India’s top score in the second innings, shaped India’s maiden Test win at Lord’s.
“That time, we had to chase 134 in the final innings on the last day. We lost five wickets but managed to reach our target in 42 overs. That was a really special win because it was the first time India won a Test at Lord’s,” Vengsarkar told TOI.

For someone who saw India banking heavily on spin at the beginning of his career, the biggest ‘cultural difference’ for him in Indian cricket has been the ‘pace revolution’ that has swept the game in recent times.
“I think this is the first time that we played four fast bowlers. I would say that this is ‘New India,’ since we never did something like this before. When I played my first World Cup, in England back in 1979, we played with three spinners! It’s a huge change in our approach to the game, and it worked because the seamers took 19 of the 20 English wickets in this Test.

At the end of the day, this is what matters,” said Vengsarkar. The former India chief selector felt that the relentless aggression shown by Kohli and his boys towards England’s players was also a sign of ‘New India’.
“This is the ‘New India’ for you. However, the children watch every gesture that our cricketers make very closely and this (aggression) is what they catch first. So you’ve to be careful about what you do. But if someone is going at you all the time, you can’t take it lying down. Of course, you’ve to give back, but there’s also a subtle way to do it,” Vengsarkar said.