CHENNAI: It’s early October. At a posh hotel in Visakhapatnam, Ravi Shastri is explaining how Mohammed Shami had orchestrated a stunning collapse in South Africa when silence engulfs the restaurant after a heavy bout of lightning and thunder. Out of nowhere, he says while pointing at his heart, “That defeat in England. It still hurts.”
“You learn from that. You never want that sort of a scoreline after competing so hard.” This is almost a year after what had unfolded in England, when India lost that series 1-4 and came home with bruised egos.
Since then, there has been a definite change in how India plan. They have stopped with experiments that are just for the sake of it. They don’t bench their best players, ones who bat time. Maybe that decision has been made possible because of the attack they have at their disposal, one that creates plenty of opportunities irrespective of the conditions. But clearly, there is a change in how India approach games these days.
They are ruthless to the extent that at times, even if you happen to be a hardcore Indian fan, you tend to feel the boredom that comes with one-sided contests. They have begun the World Test Championship (WTC) on a resounding note. Barring a miracle, they will definitely be one of the two teams that will feature in the final at Lord’s in 2021.
So, what has changed?
Open and shut
During the tours of South Africa and England, between KL Rahul, Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan, India didn’t know what the best combination was.
They ended up shuffling them way too much. It didn’t help the batsmen either. By the time England was done, all appeared to have lost confidence.
Now, as tours to New Zealand and Australia await them next year, India know their combination at the top: Mayank Agarwal and Rohit Sharma, with Prithvi Shaw or even Rahul as back-ups. That series win in Australia showed how badly India missed an opener who could hang around for a while in South Africa and England. They are unlikely to repeat the mistake considering they have their sights on WTC.
Bang in the middle
During both those tours, hardly anyone made a telling contribution barring Virat Kohli. Cheteshwar Pujara’s place was never assured. Neither was Ajinkya Rahane’s. Their runs had dried up. But Australia onwards, all of that changed. Pujara is batting how he does. Hanuma Vihari showed he is here to stay. By the time the tour of West Indies began and India’s home run ended, the Rahane of old had resurfaced, giving India a strong backbone.
Fast forward to future
Since Kohli took charge, the emphasis has been on developing an attack that can take 20 wickets. For generations, India have generally strengthened their batting. But there is a huge cultural shift now. They have a bowling unit that is capable of bowling out any opposition, irrespective of the conditions. That has helped them evolve into a side that is so hard to beat at home. If India can preserve their quicks, it will take some effort for teams to keep them quiet.
Slip knot
India are definitely among the best when it comes to fielding. But even they will be the first to admit that their slip-catching still needs improvement. In the last five Tests at home, they’ve dropped seven in the cordon. While a strong attack made up for it, such mistakes can change outcomes on foreign shores.