KOLKATA: Decimating New Zealand has seen India become the numero-uno side in Test cricket. Many factors have contributed to this rise, not least their wagging tail. In the last 13 Tests, the lower-order has scored telling runs 11 times. Situations have varied: from garnering crucial first-innings leads to rescuing the team in low-scoring games. They have helped swing momentum in India’s favour from dicey situations. The numbers do not lie: since 2014, India’s last four wickets have averaged 23.16, behind only England and Australia.
The most recent examples are a case in point. During the first Test in Kanpur, Ravindra Jadeja added 41 for the last wicket with Umesh Yadav. In Kolkata, Man of the Match Wriddhiman Saha stitched crucial partnerships with Jadeja for the eighth wicket (41) and with Mohammed Shami (35) for the last. In both games, India were in danger of being bowled out for around 250 runs, but got past the 300-run mark.
For oppositions, there is little that is as frustrating as a team wagging its tail. “One of the most important things in Test cricket is to have a lower-order that can contribute. We are working hard with bowlers. Everyone from R Ashwin onwards wants to contribute, and that puts a psychological dent on the opposition,” skipper Virat Kohli said.
Luke Ronchi admitted to the same, adding that it was India’s lower-order fightback that made the difference in Kolkata. “India made up runs at the end of the innings. They were 239/7 overnight, and then crossed 300. That’s a big chunk coming from the last three wickets.”
He admitted that the visitors too need to improve this aspect to have any chance of saving face. “That is something we have to improve while going forward. Hopefully, we can do the same with our tail, and they’ll be very valuable, come the end of the match.”
Before the Sri Lanka series, not many in the lower-order were expected to contribute significantly. Saha has now become a mainstay of the Test team, helped by a confidence-boosting century in the West Indies. His application in difficult conditions at the Eden Gardens showed why selectors and former cricketers hold him in such high esteem. Ashwin’s form with the blade has seen him move up the batting order in case of an emergency. The Kanpur Test helped Jadeja regain his lost confidence, with Kohli admitting to the same. Suddenly, the tail looks a lot longer and more formidable.
“Saha, Jadeja and Ashwin, along with Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shami, contributed crucial runs. Saha is the best keeper in the country, and he’s doing a great job. He understands how to bat with the tail now,” Kohli revealed.
With a long home season — eleven Tests still to go — India have a chance of asserting their supremacy on the summit of the ICC Test rankings. With their lower-order providing crucial runs, one aspect is sorted and congratulations are in order. Over to the big guns now.
ayantan@newindianexpress.com