England’s tour of India comes at a time when the interest in Test matches is getting a new lease of life. How England’s new attacking mindset would fare in the treacherous spinning decks of the subcontinent was a question every cricket fan was eager to see play out. Playing India at home is one of the toughest assignments in test cricket, akin to playing Nadal at the French Open or Djokovic at the Aus Open. The first test match also began in predictable fashion.
The pitch started turning from the very first day. The English batters were not all very assured at the crease. But their approach was clear. They knew their time at the crease could be limited and hence tried to get some runs on the board by playing some shots. England went in to the match with the sole pace option of Mark Wood and three spinners. The gulf in quality of the spinning options for both teams stuck out like a sore thumb. Get some runs on the board and get the pitch to be your ally seemed to be the England game plan. Stokes’ usual antics with the tail helped them to a respectable first innings score, though nowhere near par. India batted like it was a different wicket. There was no spin and the debutant Tom Hartley got an unpleasant welcoming in to test cricket. His first ball was dispatched for a six by Jaiswal and the experience only got worse from there. Strangely enough Stokes kept Hartley on to be hit around the park. The trust of the captain might have been soothing but even Hartley would have liked to have a little time off in the shade to reflect. India played their version of bazball and scored quickly. The top and middle order all gifted their wickets and India missed the chance to bat England out of the game. Still India had a sizeable lead and everyone thought the English batting would fold on the third day. England stuck to their guns and kept playing their shots. The sweeps, reverse-sweeps and scoops all came out. Indian spinners for once got flummoxed with this departure from the familiar script and their lengths went awry. Pope had a miserable last tour of India and his first innings dismissal looked like that run would continue. But credit to England’s vice-captain, he played an innings of great resolve and application. England kept losing wickets while chipping away at the deficit. The tail wagged and England’s lead started building. Now India looked out of sorts and went into a passive mode. England cashed in on this indecisive approach and got a total to fight for.
The target of 231 was not insurmountable by any stretch. But India’s batting in the second innings was in sharp contrast to their first. The all too familiar timid approach was back again. Rohit Sharma was the only batter who was looking to score runs. Others seemed to be in survival mode and with the English spinners finding their groove in the second innings, your survival was not a given. Hartley repaid the faith shown in him by Stokes and got the ball talking which left the Indian batters speechless. Once Rohit Sharma went, India didn’t have the ammunition to take it to the opposition. They tried to nudge and prod their way to the target, lost their way and faltered. Ashwin and Bharat put up some resistance at the end and a ray of hope started emerging amidst the setting sun. Hartley made sure it was a false promise and castled Bharat’s stumps with a turner. Ashwin was still there but even the astute Ashwin checked out of his thinking brain when Stokes took the extra half-hour offered to him to force a result. The pair of Bumrah-Siraj added some entertainment and a bit of tension for the English but the inevitable was only delayed till the last over of the day.
England were behind the game for almost three days and to win it from there must have felt great. It was a great validation for their new philosophy, not that they needed it. We know England would play the same even if they lost this match. Stokes was not at his best with the captaincy in the first innings. But credit to him, he learned quickly and in the second innings it was a captaincy masterclass from him. He plugged the easy boundary outlets and played on the batter’s patience. For India, this was the one that got away. They would be scratching their heads on how they ended up losing this after that sizeable first innings lead. The mindset with which India batted in the second innings had to be introspected. One thing they can learn from the England side is to have a fearless approach and believe in their skills. England know very well that winning the first match doesn’t necessarily win you the series. India will be licking their wounds and raring to right the wrongs. This sets the series up nicely and hopefully the rest of the matches would also be keenly contested.
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GandhiSpeak 