Before the Fourth Test (INDIA TOUR OF ENGLAND 2021)

The Big Picture

You are bowling in the scorching heat of England since morning. The players are well-set overnight. You get wickets but the sun overhead boils you from the inside. Suddenly, you fight back to win the game by more than an innings. Then, the heat, the sun and the sweat does not matter. 

From a win at the prestigious ground of Lord's, India slumped straight to a shocking 78 all out. The English side fought back and it proved why they were one of the big 3. Meanwhile, with Haseeb Hameed's comeback, it was quite disappointing as a Dom Sibley fan as he turned out to be the difference between England collapsing as a team and 435 all out. After England made a number of changes to their team, they probably hit the bullseye to level the series. However, even this result seemed to be in danger. But, the pace battery turned all heads around and it is even more sure that history (2014) might have a say in the outcome this time. India never had grip for even a single session in the match and they were failed as a team to be outclassed by a side that had started looking mighty now; a bowling attack which was toyed with by the batsmen seemed to look as if they were the 80’s attack of the mighty Windies; a batting lineup which was ousted in 50 overs in the previous match began to frustrate Indian bowlers by making runs as while not taking chances.

Let us look at a few negatives and positives from the match for both the sides. 

Haseeb Hammed Solves the Opening Question

In the second test, Haseeb Hameed made his comeback against the same opponents after a long drop of 4 years. In contrast to what fans had expected (at least after a century in the practice match), he failed miserably failing to adhere to conditions and situations in both the innings. There was a cloud of doubt looming over him but he defied all odds once he came to bat. With Sibley dropped, he was the only one who could be trusted. And, he came brilliantly and silenced critics by scoring wonderful 60 odd runs. Probably, it is doors closed for Sibley now until one of Burns or Haseeb fails miserably. He gave a flying start to India and made it look as if the bowling of the likes of Bumrah and Shami was ineffective. He would look to continue his form and take England to a victory as he did, in 2014.

Dawid Malian Cracks the Code at No. 3

The top-ranked T20i player has reached somewhere near the pinnacle of his Test career. While he is an example of hitting boundaries at will in the limited over formats, he has also shown his versatility by a knock of patience in the test. Although he did not back away to hit any loose ball, he was ever ready to defend and leave good balls. After a well-made 66, he departed but not before shifting the momentum back in favour of England after India took crucial wickets in the first session of the second day itself. He and Root stitched a mammoth partnership to eliminate any chances of England losing the match. However, it will still be on check if he has cemented his spot. He will have to prove his mettle by playing knocks of likewise calibre or even more. It still remains to be seen if he can bat at the position which glues the middle and the top order and play long knocks when needed by his team under pressure situations.

Root- the Stem of England

Notching up a 100 has been a piece of cake for the captain in this series, who is now behind only Alstair Cook in terms of number of hundreds in Tests by an Englishman. He has been the man behind England reaching fighting scores in each innings this series. Interestingly, he has scored 3 centuries in 5 innings this series while failing to reach the 60 run mark only once. He has been the backbone of a side which was torn apart until the Headingly test. However, the skipper did not disappoint there when he came at the team being at 160/2 (a situation he has not experienced many times). Root not only performed as a batter but led the team with great patience and that could be acknowledged when he did not lose his calm even when, on day 2, Kohli and Pujara made their marks. Despite being impressive in the whole match, the move fans loved, was when lights were not enough after 71 overs to continue with pacers. He brought himself and Moeen Ali to negotiate the overs and start with the new ball the next day.

Middle Order Not Among Runs

Both the sides are going through a tough time this series regarding their middle and the lower middle order. In England, the senior players, Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler are not making runs and rotating strike. The fact that Craig Overton, the new fast bowler was the highest scorer among the last 7 is quite alarming for the lions. Only 91 runs were contributed after the top 4 departed. It sends a negative message that, on the day, the top order fails to deliver, a collapse is on the cards. However, with Jos Buttler unavailable for the fourth test, things will be different and it will be interesting to see if England play a specialist batter in Ollie Pope or a bowling allrounder in Chris Woakes. It is also to be noted if Jonny Bairstow's work behind the stumps helps him improve in front. 

For India, it is turning out to be too disastrous. If the top order does not work, it is resulting in a collapse. The Indian middle order in Australia was something to be proud of. Pant has not contributed this series except for a couple of good reviews. Though Kohli has not hinted about his concern in context with the middle order, there are chances of a change in the whole template for the middle order where Vihari and Ashwin might get a chance.

Is it too early for Sam Curran

The 23-year old Sam Curran has been a fast rising star in test cricket but his recent form suggests he needs to take a break. With only 2 wickets, an average economy of 3.55 and just 15 runs with a strike rate of 50, it seems it is not the same Curran who we saw in the 2018 tour. His swing has been ineffective and his counter attack has not been impressive. In addition to this, he has lost his lines and length many a times. In the third test, he got out playing the unneeded hook shot. Though Joe Root has expressed his approval of Sam Curran playing in the next match, the team management would be eager to replace him with Jack Leach or Matt Parkinson to try a few names. 

Rohit Stars Again

While we have not seen the Rohit we have known, in this test series, the Hitman has been India's one of the very few positives from the third test. Unlike earlier, he has learnt to bat according to conditions and has adapted to play under pressure. He was the top scorer for India in both the innings. In the first innings, he took up the responsibility when none else did. He played 100 balls when only 1 other reached the 50 ball- mark. The second innings saw him build good partnerships with KL Rahul and Cheteswar Pujara to raise some hopes. He is better placed than Rahul although he has not got a big knock. He scores runs and rotated strike to keep the scoreboard ticking while negotiating balls in the beginning, something which Rahul has found difficult. He would be looking to get his first international century soon which would mean a flying start to Indian innings.

Kohli's Lean Patch Continues

Although there has been good captaincy by Kohli in the series, his form with the bat has come under the scanner. His inability to judge swinging deliveries has seen him get out either in the slip cordon or to the man with gloves. His elegant cover drives have not saved him this time because the bowlers are not making the same mistake by not bowling overpitched or full length deliveries, something they had to pay for in 2018. While the century drought continues, Bradd Hogg, one of the greatest cricket pundits, has predicted that a big score from the Indian skipper is on the cards. Kohli would look to build partnerships with Rohit and Pujara to unleash his century.

Pujara Storms Back to Form

Cheteswar Pujara was the man to have a litmus test to give, not less than a career examination and, luckily, he passed with flying colours. He was the highest scorer for India in combined both innings. However, this time, he was not just blocking and blocking, it was something more than a blockathon. His strike rate being higher than Rohit's is not something we see everyday. He was solid in the middle and was set for a well-deserved ton before Ollie Robinson cut it off at 91. The English bowlers were ineffective against him with the old ball. But, the knock assured him tickets only for 4-5 more matches where he would have to bat his heart out. 

Trouble for Rahane and Ishant

Ishant Sharma was brought into the side in the second test because of an injury to Shardul Thakur and the trick worked wonders for the team. He returned with good figures but, in the third test, he failed to make a mark. Hence, there is still room for Ashwin to be invited in his place as he would add a lot more than excellent bowling to his team in the form of batting. Ajinkya Rahane is also not having a great tour. His experience is not paying off for his side. Although he made a good partnership with Rohit in the first innings, he has not come of use and has been getting out on low scores when the team wants senior players in the middle order to step up if the top order fails. There have been talks on social media in replacing him with Suryakumar Yadav but there is still chance that the management gives him chances as he has the technique right.