There was a loud cheer when Cook called correct in Mohali. The importance of winning the toss in India wasn’t lost on the English supporters, for only once this year in Asia did the team losing it went on to win the match.
While winning the toss is an advantage, it’s only half the job done, and England failed in capitalising the advantage of batting first on a good pitch. India would’ve been happy with a couple of wickets in the first session, but got four. While credit should be given to the bowlers for their penetration and discipline in the opening hours, England can’t escape from the fact that some of their batsmen fell to ordinary shots. Of the four wickets that India got, only Hameed’s delivery was unplayable. The rest played played loose shots. Christmas arrived early for India.
Pacers at it
There was a time in Indian cricket when pacers were used as release bowlers in home conditions. Since conditions never complimented their skills, it was fair to expect only discipline from them, or so we thought. Strategies were stitched around spinners and dishing out spin-ready pitches was a norm. To be fair, spinners almost always responded well and India remained a force at home.
But the pair of Shami and Umesh are leading a revolution of sorts. It’s the first time India has fielded two fast (not medium pacers) bowlers. And it’s perhaps the first time that Indian seamers have outpaced and out-bowled their counterparts. Both Shami and Umesh have consistently bowled over 140kmph, and that has encouraged Virat to look in their direction whenever a partnership is developing. Since Indian conditions aren’t ideal for them to take five-wicket hauls, it’ll be a grave injustice to judge their efforts based on the numbers in the wickets column. Their presence is allowing Indians to play on fair Test match pitches.
Number 7, 8 and 9
Chasing a modest first innings score, India were in a spot of bother after tea on Day 2. The deficit was still 80 and India had only four wickets in hand. The thumb rule of succeeding in India is to make the first innings with the bat count, for if you fail to do that, you end up chasing your tail. If it’s turn to bat last, first innings becomes even more important. That’s when India’s tail stitched a tale to remember.
Ashwin, Jadeja and Jayant not only scored fine half-centuries but pushed England out of the game. While ensuring a sizeable lead, they also created history as it was the first time in India’s 505-Test history that numbers 7, 8 and 9 scored fifties. It’s happened only seven times in the history of Test cricket. I’ve not seen a stronger Indian lower order than this unit under Kohli.
Missed opportunities
Third day of a Test is considered to be the moving day and mostly, whichever team wins that day, wins the game. India was 12 runs behind after the second day and the second new ball was only a few overs old. That’s when you felt that England let the game slip. While Jadeja and Ashwin batted like accomplished batsmen, England’s tactics were baffling. They started the day with Mooen and soon adopted a defensive outside-off strategy to seamers. If that wasn’t enough, Anderson bowled only five overs despite the tail wagging. Nobody bowled bouncers at Jadeja and Jayant, and the utilisation of Batty was inexplicable. It felt that Cook had already thrown in the towel and was happy to play with only 10 men.
The way England fought in Rajkot and Vizag was admirable but the way they capitulated in Mohali was deplorable. For inspiration, they need not to look further than the 19-year-old Hameed. He batted with a fractured finger, played for Root till he was around and then shifted gears batting with the tail. Things could’ve looked a lot different if some of the English players showed even half of Hameed’s courage.
India have got an unassailable lead in Mohali despite losing the toss, and that’s a huge positive. England must be rueing their chances, for Cook won two of the three tosses and they’re yet to play on a rank-turner. While they should use the week between the third and the fourth to regroup, India just need to rejuvenate.