As the dust settles on a memorable Test match, India coming from behind to force a stunning victory, our UK correspondent Tawhid Qureshi gives his verdict on what went wrong for England and what went so very right for India.
England Not Ruthless Enough
It was a visibly drained and dejected Joe Root who faced the media after his side had slumped to a 157-run loss against a re-energised India team. The loss leaves England with the uphill task of searching for a win at Old Trafford in just a few days’ time, to square the series. Even if victory is achieved in Manchester, it will be the first time in 20 years that England have failed to win a home Test series. The one-nil loss against New Zealand earlier in the summer, perhaps signified the shape of things to come for England’s red ball fortunes.
Captain Root, never one to make excuses for his team’s performances, continually returned to the theme of England being unable to win the big moments in the game and lacking the required ruthlessness when the match was hanging in the balance. There were at least three phases in the match when England paid a high price for being unable to drive home the advantage.
Having dismissed India for a below par 191 in the first innings, the hosts would have reasonably expected to achieve a more definitive lead than the 99-run advantage that materialised. England’s middle order engine room of Pope, Bairstow and Moeen each lost their wicket carelessly when a position of dominance was within reach. Moeen’s languid grace and Pope’s textbook offside strokeplay hinted at a match defining partnership, which in the end only yielded 71 runs.
Fast forward to India’s second innings and a clutch of wickets on the morning of day 4, including the prized one of Kohli, meant that the score was 312-6 and the potential 4th innings target remained a realistic one. But it was the unlikely pair of Pant and Thakur who skilfully took the game away from England in the afternoon session of day 4, adding exactly 100 runs for the 7th wicket and setting up the 368-run target.
The last day of the Test promised drama, with all results still possible at the start of the day, but it was the searing reverse swing of Bumrah that knocked the stuffing out of England’s resistance. He bowled Pope and Bairstow in the space of 11 balls, neither batsman having an answer to one of the most devasting bowling spells of recent times. The drawn-out nature of Test cricket requires an enormous physical and mental effort, it’s near impossible to maintain intensity levels throughout 5 days of competition. The concerning thing for England, as also seen at the last day of the Lords Test, is not being able to summon maximum focus and concentration when it’s needed most
Rohit, Thakur and Bumrah Star for India
The chief architects of India’s win were a specialist opener, an all-rounder and a fast bowler; Rohit, Thakur and Bumrah. Although Rohit was given the player of the match award for his excellently compiled 127 in the second innings, the only centurion of the match, Thakur can count himself very unlucky not to be recognised for the impact he made with bat and ball. He scored two half centuries coming in at number eight, his vital runs making up for the failures of more renown batsmen ahead of him in the order. And with the ball, each of his three wickets were important breakthroughs, when his team needed it the most. He claimed the scalps of Pope in the first innings and Burns in the second innings when both players were well set, as well as the big wicket of Root. At first sight, Thakur looks like an unlikely hero, his stocky frame suggesting he spends less time in the gym than some of his teammates. But he’s the kind of cricketer often seen on the county circuit, relying on old fashioned line and length bowling rather than express pace and maximising any assistance from seaming pitches.
Jasprit Bumrah, also looks like a curious misfit to the uninitiated. His gangly limbs don’t obviously point towards him being the champion bowler that he is. His stop-start run up and unorthodox action, belies the lethalness with which he propels the ball, often at dizzying speed. There have been times in the series when English batsmen have had the upper hand over him, but on a dazingly sunny Monday afternoon in south London, he was able to summon his reserves of energy to dismantle England’s middle order.
India loves London
Following India’s last day heroics at the Lords Test, their disintegration a few days later in the first innings at the Leeds Test was unexpected. But they most certainly regained their mojo after returning to London for the fourth Test. Overturning a 99-run deficit to win a Test in England is a rare feat. London has captured the imagination and stolen the hearts of millions who have visited the city, team India appear to be in this category too. Maybe it’s the unique cosmopolitan atmosphere that India have enjoyed, or the more favourable weather compared to northern parts of the country, or just the guaranteed vociferous support. Whatever the reasons, India have registered two remarkable performances in the Capital.
For the most part, the Oval sat underneath slate grey skies during the fourth Test, the third day of the Test was particularly challenging for spectators as the attritional cricket emanating from Rohit and Rahul’s opening stand, matched the weather. On balance it was days two and five that saw the most entertainment, even if Jarvo’s pointless pitch invasion on Friday afternoon threatened to grab the headlines.
The stands were pulsating to the rhythm of drums from the Bharat Army by the end of the match. If you squinted at the large pockets of Indian supporters throughout the ground, dressed in team colours and howling in frenzied delight at the fall of each English wicket, you could almost imagine being in a corner of Delhi or Mumbai. It was an unusually hot late summer day, when temperatures were close to 30c, which accentuated the feeling.
Old Trafford welcomes two tired teams
The final Test of the series begins on Friday, with India safe in the knowledge that they cannot lose. England will be desperate to win, their chances largely rest on a middle order being able to rediscover some kind of form and the hope that the bowling unit isn’t suffering from fatigue. Joe Root has indicated that Butler will return to the team, following the birth of his second child, which means the likely demotion of Bairstow.
The other selection quandary relates to the potential inclusion of Mark Wood and Jack Leach, including both players would create a long tail and raise the question of which bowlers to leave out. Both Robinson and Anderson looked spent of energy on day four of the Oval Test, but it would take a brave person to ask Anderson to sit out a Test at the ground that has been his second home since childhood. Tellingly, Root has said that Moeen remains the “number one spinner” of the team which could mean Leach’s omission from the final playing eleven.
The Indian camp will hope that injuries sustained by Rohit and Pujara during the Oval Test aren’t serious, but it’s Ashwin’s place in the team that will be most scrutinised. Arguably the world’s best-off spinner has oddly yet to feature in the series. Although Kohli and coach Shastri’s selection policy has largely been proved right so far, the Old Trafford pitch is traditionally the most conducive to spin, which might force a change of approach. Kohli, a man who always seems eager to prove his doubters wrong, will be aware of the huge significance of a Test series win in England. His legacy will be secured in England with a victory in Manchester, even if he hasn’t had a vintage summer with the bat. Joe Root will be equally keen to prevent the wild scenes of celebration from his opposite number. Rarely has a team relied on their captain to score so many runs, England will hope that Root can once again answer the call.
