Before the Third Test (INDIA TOUR OF ENGLAND 2021)

The Big Picture

Imagine you are asked to take 10 wickets in 60 overs against against a side which is blocking and blocking and blocking. This is impractical but not impossible and, in cricket, the impractical is what happens most of the times. That is what the Indian side would have thought before thumping one of the greatest test teams to secure a historic win at the mecca of cricket. England lost in all the three departments owing to dropped catches, incorrect selection of shots and lack of concentration. India, on the other hand, have got almost all bases covered and have little to worry about. However, they cannot sit content. They will be looking to clear the minor problems to avoid in being in the same nail biting situations (which they have passed enough) and get a grip a bit early in the match.

Both, India and England had fair lot of luck on their sides. It must not come as a surprise to us that Virat Kohli lost the toss and the side from the continent were given the bats in their hands (and the conditions being overcast, it was to be as tough as deciding the fairly best 11 of the modern era). But, Rohitman Sharma did not give any respect to the conditions or the bowlers. The slow start of KL Rahul was compensated by him when Pujara joined him at the crease. However, when Pujara got out, another middle order collapse was on the cards but captain Kohli did well to negotiate almost the whole day, falling prey to Ollie Robinson but Rahul continued the good work and got his name inscribed on the honour's board of Lord's. 

The second day started on the right note for England as both overnight batsmen were dismissed in the first two overs. Then, came a 49-run stand between Jadeja and Rishabh Pant. The resistance was, however, soon, broken as Pant and Shami fell in quick succession. After getting some runs, Ishant Sharma, Bumrah and Jadeja got out quickly and that wrapped up the first innings of India. In England's first innings none except one player got going and there are no prizes for guessing as the name Joe Root is quite obvious in this list. His unbeaten 180 helped his team take a 27-run lead. The English bowlers were right on money as Rohit and Rahul departed cheaply. Kohli got a few runs at a high strike rate but succumbed to young Sam Curran. After this, it looked all but over that India could save the test. Contrastingly, Rahane and Pujara stitched a slow but match-saving stand between them. 

On the next day, after all the recognised batters departed, the most unimagined thing in the match happened. The three tail-enders were expected to get out cheaply but who would have thought Shami making a half century at a strike rate of 80. Bumrah and Ishant made useful contributions to leave England with an option to chose draw or win. However, none of them could be possible as India bowlers wrecked havoc in the English batting by bowling them out in just 53 overs. Buttler was the pick of the batting but loss of patience and tactical bowling from Siraj got the better of him. 

Now, let us look at some talking points of the match.

Rohit Sharma's High Strike Rate

Rohit is a player who does not like wasting balls. His healthy strike rate and massive number of runs in test cricket have helped him establish himself as the first choice opener. He does well to negotiate the effect of the new ball and get runs on the board while, at the same time, getting his team off to what is called a flying start. His form was a bit questionable in the middle of his career but this series has cleared all doubts regarding him. He proves out to be very effective in case the opponents try to disturb his team with a short ball ploy as he is very good at the pull shot, both on the front foot and the back foot. His weakness against spinners has not depreciated the numbers since he is an opener and most teams look to start with pacers to use the new ball to the maximum effect. He got to a big score in first innings and a start in the second. He will look to improve his weakness of getting out after getting off to starts but he is a valuable player overall.

English Openers Fail Yet Again

The opening partnership of England is getting worse day by day and this is probably the worst phase of English cricket. After Alstair Cook retired, England found able openers in Rory Burns and Dom Sibley but they have failed to make an impact in the recent times. Struggles against New Zealand have continued to haunt them against India as well. Rory Burns got off to a good start in the first innings but failed to capitalize and fell a mere run short of his half century. They need to look for players now and Haseeb Hameed, who has made a comeback into the side, can be looked for an opening option. For the third test, they can try opening with Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler, who open for England and their respective IPL franchises. However, there might be  a possibility, they go in with their experienced trump card, Dawid Malan, whom they have recently invited to the squad. He must also be looking to prove himself that he is an asset in the longest format as well.

Joe Root Continues to Impress

Let us put aside the struggles of whole of the English batting line up and remember one person who has continually impressed. The only name that can hover around anybody's mind is Joe Root. A 180* in the first innings prompted his team to a lead and, despite only minute contributions by other players, he stitched partnerships with Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali. He also showed good common sense by retaining strike mostly due to singles on the last ball of the over. This prevented him from running out of partners too early. He showed great composure and took his time on the crease. He had impressed in the 3 innings he played but tables were turned around in the last innings when he was caught by Kohli off the bowling of Jasprit Bumrah. His wicket showed that the bowlers were truly on fire. 

The Indian Tail Masterclass

In the first innings, when the tail-enders of India got out cheaply, it started to appear that the miracle of the tail in the first innings of the first test was a fluke. However, the match-saving match winning knocks of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma proved that, along with a groomed pace compartment, there was a new intensity of scoring even by the tail-enders. 

No Mark Wood?

In an attempt to save a run for his side, a fast bowler dives and saves a well-timed shot and it does not result in a boundary. Three runs are taken in the meantime. The fielder deserves a round of applause. However, reactions won't be same if the fast bowler, who has had a great day, cannot bowl anymore. This is the case that occurred with Mark Wood. Although there has been no confirmation on whether Wood is ruled out, it seems highly unlikely that he will be able to play. England will be in all sorts of trouble if they do not have him, especially when their batting is not working. He generated the extra pace and bounce which surprises tail-enders as well as new batsmen at the crease. If this is the case, they will have to play one bowler short or play Craig Overton to balance their sides (given the fact that Stuart Broad has already been ruled out from the whole test series).

Ishant Sharma's Comeback

Ishant Sharma's inclusion into the side completed the pace trio of India. And, they came all guns blazing to prove why they from the best trio in the world currently. Ishant Sharma was highly economical, finishing with an average match economy of just 2.09 and also taking 5 wickets in the match. His height helped India counter the attack of top order batsmen as well as lower order ones. Whenever it seemed that the run rate is going high, his captain would bring him in to keep a check at the run rate. Although he looked a bit ineffective in the first innings against the middle order, he starred in the second innings picking 2 crucial wickets of set batters, Jonny Bairstow, and Haseeb Hameed.

Rahane and Pujara Slam Critics

Many cricketing greats remarked that India no more comprises of a one man army but all the 11 players have a part to play. In the most tense situations in the match, the seniors stepped up and pulled India back from a situation of turmoil. Both, Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteswar Pujara started blockathon to ensure India do not lose any wickets after losing the top three for not a very big score. They showed patience and grit even if it meant lowering the run rate to less than two an over. This partnership was the momentum-shifting moment of the game and gave the lower order and the tail to experiment with aggressive batting approach. 

The Quietness of the English Tail

It has been time that England have made use of the their tail. In all the innings in this tour, they have negotiated balls but they have not done their job. The likes of Mark Wood, James Anderson and Ollie Robinson are expected to play at a higher strike rate to add runs which are considered equivalent to gold. One reason might be the absence of Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes, who can contribute runs down the order to irritate the opponents and take the charge should their batters fail to deliver. They will need to work on the batting of their tail-enders like India has done. 

Eye for an Eye

You do not want to lose to Kohli. He gives you back as much as he receives. And, something similar happened again with the unlucky target being the Joe Root - led English national team. It has not been even a year since the sledging of Tim Paine ignited the fire in a new-look India to breach the Gabba fortress and England did not learn from them and sledged the players that came to the crease. In the last innings, tempers flared to unbelievable heights when the slip cordon became very vocal to dismantle the concentration and confidence of the batters. Kohli did not forget to take revenge from Sam Curran who went crazy after taking his wicket. In addition, he made every effort to nullify the effect of what they did to Bumrah and Shami while the 2 were in front of the stumps. The English team lost the plot badly while, in the third innings, they tried to hit the batsmen with threatening bouncers and short deliveries but totally forgot the wicket-taking lengths. Once both the tail-enders were set, they were punishing everything that came their way, short, full or good length. Hence, India had already won the mental and verbal game.