CHENNAI: It was inevitable but India wrapped up the series 3-1 against England inside three days to confirm their place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final. The journey that started way back in July 2019 has come entering the climax, with Virat Kohli & Co set to face New Zealand in June at Lord’s for one last dance. For a team that suffered a 0-2 defeat to New Zealand in February last year and then resumed their international assignment with a nightmarish performance of 36 all out in the first Test against Australia at Adelaide in mid-December, booking a ticket to the final looked like a distant dream.
What transpired after the match has been nothing short of phenomenal. Twice in two series, the No 1 ranked Test side has come back from 0-1 down to clinch the trophy. From losing a slew of players to injuries, enduring body blows to save the match, India have found different stars at various junctures who put their hand up to take the team to the finish line.
Newcomers such as Mohammed Siraj, Shubman Gill, T Natarajan, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel have all grabbed the opportunities with both hands to make the spots their own. Their performances have been game-changing to an extent that when the injured players come back to the side, it might be a strenuous task for the team management to include them in the squad.
“Our bench strength is extremely strong and that’s a good sign for Indian cricket,” said the skipper Kohli after the day’s play as India won the fourth Test by an innings and 25 runs at Ahmedabad.“When the transition happens, the standards won’t fall and Rishabh (Pant) and Washy’s (Washington Sundar) partnership showed exactly that in a crucial juncture of the match. We had to pick up our body language after the first game in Chennai. Every team in international cricket is a quality side and we need to work hard to beat them, even at home. Keeping that intensity going is most important and is the hallmark of our team,” he added.
Mind you, the last two series were not only a test of skill but also their mental toughness — an intangible asset that is more relevant in the current circumstances. In that regard, the Indian team proved their ability to rise above under pressure, eliminating all the distractions to give 100 per cent by living in a bio-secure environment.
Almost half of the current Indian squad that played against Joe Root entered the bio-bubble before the start of the IPL last August undergoing multiple hard quarantines. During their time Down Under, there was even a period when the players were confined to a hotel room for two weeks when they weren’t even allowed to open windows.
It was understandable when R Ashwin’s wife tweeted out, “now break the bubble and come home already” as the all-rounder received the Man of the Series award on Saturday. The off-spinner, who bagged his 30th five-wicket haul on Day 3, said: “Nobody wants to leave the Indian team bubble. You want to play as much as you can. But I feel the life inside the bio-bubble is not easy at all. You need to work on mental spirits and you need to constantly keep motivating yourself.
The last eight months have been hard, yes. The team’s morale and the bonding that we built because of these bio-bubbles has been special, in terms of understanding people. It even gave opportunity for somebody else to understand you as a person in the common lounge area that we share... It’s been quite special. “Some of those comebacks have not come as a surprise because we have generally bonded well. Obviously, I’m looking forward to going back home, you want to see your kids and family,” added the 34-year-old.
SCOREBOARD
England 1st innings: 205
India 1st innings (o/n 294-7): Washington (not out) 96, Axar (run out) 43, Ishant lbw Stokes 0, Siraj b Stokes 0, Extras (b10, lb6, nb3) 19, Total (114.4 ovs) 365. FOW: 1-0, 2-40, 3-41, 4-80, 5-121, 6-146, 7-259, 8-365, 9-365.
Bowling: Anderson 25-14-44-3, Stokes 27.4-6-89-4, Leach 27-5-89-2, Bess 17-1-71-0, Root 18-1-56-0.
England 2nd innings: Crawley c Rahane b Ashwin 5, Sibley c Pant b Axar 3, Bairstow c Rohit b Ashwin 0, Root lbw Ashwin 30, Stokes c Kohli b Axar 2, Pope st Pant b Axar 15, Lawrence b Ashwin 50, Foakes c Rahane b Axar 13, Bess c Pant b Axar 2, Leach c Rahane b Ashwin 2, Anderson (not out) 1, Extras (b4, lb8) 12, Total (54.5 ovs, all out) 135.
FOW: 1-10, 2-10, 3-20, 4-30, 5-65, 6-65, 7-109, 8-111, 9-134.
Bowling: Siraj 4-0-12-0,
Axar 24-6-48-5, Ashwin 22.5-4-47-5,
Washington 4-0-16-0.