WINNING BUNCH: India now has the best chance in years to win a series overseas

India is agog. England waits upon its fate, as grim as a boy outside the headmaster's study. The sun blazes, warming and beckoning a touring team that seemed beaten a month ago. All eyes will be on the Oval as the teams meet in the decisive Test match of a series as erratic as a drunken cyclist. Five days of intrigue are promised with every ball followed in packed stands and upon radios and screens from Kolkata to Kerala. Five days! A fellow could get to the moon in that time...

India did not have the slightest chance of winning at Leeds. Everyone knew that. Headingley is a ground for chains and armour and India weaves a delicate cloth. Some looked to the stars for an explanation as the days unfolded and the vulnerable suddenly appeared insuperable. But the victory was no miracle born in the heavens. Nor did luck play a part. No sucker punch was thrown from the canvas by a desperate pugilist. No, it was a lot better than that. Far from delivering a knockout blow, India simply kept jabbing till its opponent capitulated. Only during the inspired, compelling and amusing partnership between Sourav and Sachin (for the time being their first names can be used, as the last names suffice for Dylan and Tagore) did the Indians cut loose. Otherwise it was a professional performance, bold of conception, thorough of execution, unwavering of intent. Nonetheless it could have gone horribly wrong.

For once India had the nerve to back itself far, playing to its own strengths and to heck with orthodoxy and the conditions. They did not have a choice, but that is said easily and hard to act upon. Much was owed to the determination and skill of a second-wicket pair showing the stubbornness respected wherever the game is played, especially in Yorkshire with its disdain of fancy hats. This is a county for the working man and chip butties.

REAR GUARD: Dravid's innings at Leeds was among the best ever played in adversity

India understood and cut their cloth accordingly. Rahul Dravid's innings counts among the finest ever played in adversity. Certainly this greying observer cannot recall anything to surpass it, not even from Sachin or Steve Waugh, the most cussed batsman of his time. Of course, Tendulkar and Ganguly carted the bowling around superbly whilst Very Very Special Laxman threw his wicket away in the interests of the team. Laxman's effort told the tale. It was "all for one, and one for all". The cry of the musketeers.

Now it is time to eat some humble pie. India also bowled with heart, brain and menace. Previously the attack had not seemed capable of escaping a wet paper bag and now it had the Englishmen hopping around and hanging on for dear life. Zaheer Khan was a thorn in the side of his opponents and the spirit of Ajit Agarkar spread around the field like the words of an orator. Even Parthiv Patel has something about him, a cheeky grin, a twinkle that cheers his colleagues.

In a strong team every player is distinct. They can be told from their gait, almost their silhouette. Every man has a story to tell. Anonymity and victory do not walk hand in hand. Success requires the exploration of the edges of the character, the extremities of the team. India are moving in this direction. The players are emerging and this indicates confidence and fellowship.

India could still fall flat on its face. Ganguly's team, though, will take some stopping. Already India have risen from the dead (which always impresses westerners) to win the NatWest series. Next they fought back to save the match in Nottingham, an indication that the tide had turned. King Canute himself could not produce such a reversal.

Everyone knows that India have a chance in the poorer southern parts of London, on the wrong side of the river, where the accents crackle with cockney. The pitch at the Oval is fast enough to encourage the strokeplayers and often dusts enough to encourage the spinners. Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh are finally forming their long-awaited partnership. The older man bowled with vigour in Leeds, a spicy curry replacing the bland stew at Lord's. Nowadays Kumble is trying to look like a filmstar with his moustache and elegant ways. He remains a fierce competitor and happily still glares at errant fieldsmen like a mean boss at an expenses claim. He provides the solidity that gives the novice time to master his craft.

India's spinners will be hoping to take wickets at the Oval. Doubtless they remember the havoc wreaked by Muttiah Muralitharan a few years ago. Nothing, though, can be taken for granted. Groundsmen are a crafty lot and some can produce to order. Pitches in Kennington have turned this season but, then, Saqlain Mushtaq has been playing for the home side. A decade ago Devon Malcolm unleashed the fastest and most hostile spell of pace bowling seen in this country as the South Africans were torn apart.

India must be ready for all eventualities. Most particularly the captain-and he has become a proper captain, leading from the front and concerned about the welfare of his players-must remind his players that the series is square and that the scoreboard will read 0-0 as the players walk out on that first morning a few days hence.

A match has been won, magnificently and against the odds, but the issue remains to be settled. India have a wonderful opportunity to win a series overseas for the first time in much too long. Still, it is too early to get carried away because the deed has not been done. Indeed, excitement may be India's enemy as hard work and patience were their friends at Headingley. India have fought back and England's response is awaited. Much will depend upon the mood in the camps.

No one is beaten till the mind has called "enough"! Remarkably, India will start as hot favourite. Ganguly's team has come a long way in a few weeks and now must take a giant leap. It's going to be fascinating, and the spoils will go to the team that holds its nerve. As the poet says, "Begin afresh, afresh, afresh." Such is the fate of all teams. It is only tomorrow that counts.

Peter Roebuck, former Somerset captain, is among the world's leading cricket writers