VISAKHAPATNAM: DON’T be deceived by the margin of defeat . At various points during England’s 69.2 overs across Sunday and Monday, India were looking a touch rattled. Even when the hosts were leading by over 350 runs, they just ‘wanted to bat’, according to coach Rahul Dravid. He admitted they never felt like forcing the play at any stage in their second innings.
“It was a great Test again,” he said in the post-match press conference. When asked if they have found a sureshot solution to tackle the tourists’ unique gameplan of always taking the game forward, Dravid said, “They have played well, shown good skills. Not wild slogging, some of their shots require a lot of skills and ability.
They know how to find that balance (between knowing when to attack and when to defend).” No player is more at ease with this balance than Zak Crawley. After a 78-ball 76 in the first innings, he followed it with a 132-ball 73. Just when it looked like Jonny Bairstow and he were stitching a good partnership, Crawley fell, leg-before to a Kuldeep Yadav delivery.
The umpire at the non-striker’s end didn’t give it and Rohit sent it upstairs. In real time, it looked like it was missing leg-stump but the technology overturned the umpire’s decision.
Expectedly, skipper Ben Stokes held that the tech had failed his team with respect to that decision. “Everyone has an understanding of the reasons it (technology) can never be 100% which is why we have ‘Umpire’s Call’. When it’s not 100% as everyone says, I don’t think it’s unfair for someone to say ‘I think the technology has got it wrong on this occasion’. And that is my personal opinion.”