India played a near-perfect first Test while Sri Lanka’s performance left a lot to be desired. A detailed look and some talking points for the day-night Test at Bengaluru...
Pant’s audacity
Since cementing his place in the Test squad at home, the wicket-keeper has changed the grammar of India’s middle-order. In seven games at home, he averages 68.75 while striking at 86.47.
Among all batters in the history of Tests in India (minimum five games), that’s eighth-best (average) and best (strike rate). At a time when India will have to overhaul their middle-order, Pant offers them a cheat code. He can walk in and dismantle attacks, including when the team is in trouble.
Spinning all-rounders
India’s pacers (they have improved of late, to be fair) don’t contribute much with the bat. However, to compensate, all of India’s lead spinners are more than handy with the bat.
All three of Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja average more than 29 in India in Tests.
That allows captains to play all of them regularly, crucial to their combination of three spinners and two pacers. It has allowed them to get almost invincible at home.
Ashwin/Jadeja axis
The heart of why India are so effective at home is simple.
They have, inarguably, the two best spinners going around in sub-continental conditions.
They attack the stumps, don’t bowl too many ‘hit-me’ balls, and, at the same time, are two very different bowlers.
One is a southpaw, the other loves to open the bowling and isn’t shy to experiment.
While Ashwin loves to attack, Jadeja, even when he’s a defensive bowler, picks up wickets.
Out of the nine innings at home, Risabh Pant has crossed 50 six times.
374 In the 35 Tests they have played together in India, they have picked up 374 wickets at an average of 10.68 per match.
Wrong team combination
The visitors, for all their batting frailties, let themselves down badly even before the toss in Mohali.
This India team isn’t all that against spin and the absence of a second frontline spinner meant they always scored freely against the seamers.
The visitors should play another spinner in Bangalore even with all the theories around the pink ball and it being conducive to more seamer-friendly conditions.
02 India have won both the day-night Tests to have happened in the country.
Batting problems
Sri Lankans did enter the Mohali Test with a clear plan, trying to take the attack to the spinners but weren’t calculating.
They also didn’t trust their defences more.
In all, they scored 62.5 per cent of their total runs in boundaries but playing spin is a lot more nuanced than just using the feet and hitting boundaries.
They need more control and should learn to trust their defence more.
15 Of the 20 Lankan wickets to fall, 15 were claimed by Ashwin or Jadeja