New Delhi, June 16 -- India's last Test series win against England came in 2007, under Rahul Dravid's captaincy. They had a team manager in past great Chandu Borde, but no coach. Dravid and the senior players around him - Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Anil Kumble, Sourav Ganguly - shepherded the others. Cricket was different then.

No country had a T20 league of its own for starters, which meant a bit more breathing room in the calendar. That year, India's first Test against England began on July 19, but the squad was in the United Kingdom since a month before. In the current calendar, having one month playing competitive games in the country you're touring is a pipe dream.

India began with a one-off ODI against Ireland, then played a th...