ENGLAND: 246 (Stokes 70, Bairstow 37, Ashwin 3-68, Jadeja 3-88) and 420 (Pope 196, Duckett 47, Bumrah 4-41, Ashwin 3-126) beat INDIA: 436 (Jadeja 87, Rahul 86, Jaiswal 80) and 202 (Rohit 39, Hartley 7-62) by 28 runs
126 ahead, and 7 wickets down, Pope and Rehan walked out, hoping the troubles stay away for another session. Jadeja produced turn right away. Bumrah produced swing with a 78-over old ball. Pope and Ahmed survived close calls. And the first 5 overs produced 22 runs. But Bumrah struck next over, finding Ahmed's outside edge. Early in the day, India had struck, and a quick collapse was on the table. But Pope and Hartley were not going to let that happen. For the next 17 overs, there was no wicket, Pope and Hartley accumulated 80 runs, and the Indians were visibly frustrated. Jadeja had gone for runs, Ashwin was economical but wasn't lethal enough to take wickets. Siraj had toiled hard for a few overs, producing a wonderful delivery that caught Pope's outside edge, but Rahul put it down at first slip. England's lead stood at 229 now, and just as the game had started to slip away from the Indians, Ashwin bowled a length ball to Hartley that spun right into the stumps, bamboozling the debutant. Hartley walked back for a phenomenal 34. India was 2 wickets away from batting again, and those two wickets came in the two overs that followed. Bumrah denied Pope a well-deserved double century as he castled him at 196. England were bowled out for 420. India had to chase 231 to win the first test, a decent target, but what should've been pretty easy for the home side, or at least that's what we thought.
Rohit Sharma and Jaiswal began well. The Indian skipper looked way more confident than he did in the first innings and scored more runs in the partnership. After accumulating 42 runs in 11.3 overs, India lost their first wicket, with Jaiswal playing a shot directly to Ollie Pope at short leg who had taken a magnificent catch to get rid of him. The second wicket followed the first, as Gill, trying to defend one on his front foot, put it right into Pope's hands at short leg. Just like that, Hartley had two wickets, Pope had two brilliant catches, and India had lost 2 wickets after a decent start. Ben Stokes' brave and attacking field had given England two early breakthroughs. And 231, which looked like an easy target at the start of the over, started to appear grim to the Indians.
Rohit and KL steadied proceedings, with a steady 21-run partnership in the next 6 overs. In the 18th over, Hartley produced a gem of a delivery, going straight into Rohit's pads, a huge appeal from everyone on the field, and up went the finger. Rohit had to walk back for 39, and Hartley, on debut had his 3rd wicket of the innings. Surprisingly, Axar Patel walked out to bat at number 5 for India, the idea must have been to get a left-right combination in. And it did work, to an extent. Though India batted slowly, they managed to stitch together a 32-run partnership in the next 12 overs. Time wasn't a problem for the Indians. They had more than half of the 4th day and the entirety of the 5th day to get to the target. The priority right now was to build a long partnership not losing any more wickets. And just when things looked good for India, in the first over post-tea, Axar Patel scooped one back to Hartley, and Hartley had gotten his 4th wicket of the innings. He could do no wrong! And when it rains, it pours. 3 overs later, Root caught KL Rahul's pads right in front of the stumps, India was 5 down, and suddenly 231 looked much more ominous.
As if bowlers producing wickets was not enough, Stokes threw a direct throw whilst diving and caught Jadeja well-short at the non-striker's end. India's 1st innings second highest scorer was run out for just 2 runs. India found itself in deep turmoil, they were 119/6, still having to score another 112 runs with 3 proper batters remaining. Things got from bad to worse as Shreyas Iyer edged one to Root in the slips. An injured Jack Leach got his first wicket reducing India to 119/7. The English were flying high, their energy was different, and every delivery was an opportunity. The Indian dressing room on the other hand was in complete contrast. The coaching staff sat scratching their heads, hoping for a miracle, and Ashwin and KS Bharat gave the team a brief period of hope.
A fine 57-run partnership took India to 176. The target was reduced to 55, and with these two at the crease, the fans hoped again. Just when the fans had begun to relax in front of their TV sets, KS Bharat lunged forward trying to defend a delivery from Hartley. Instead, the ball went straight for Bharat's stumps. Hartley ran off celebrating, the English team surrounded him as he raised the ball celebrating a fifer on his debut. He had been the main architect of India's destruction this innings. With 2 wickets remaining, India had to find a way to get 55 more runs. If not for the new ICC rules, India would have had to play another 4-5 minutes before stumps, but owing to the new rules, Ben Stokes had opted to go for the play to be extended by 30 minutes. And that decision worked out for them. Ashwin looked to step out and missed the ball by a mile, Foakes did the job, and as Hartley got his 6th wicket, Ashwin was stumped out for 28. England was a wicket away from a historic win, and one of the greatest turnarounds in the history of the game.
The result of the game depended on India's two pacers now. Bumrah and Siraj had to find a way to score another 54 runs. And whilst they built a 25-run partnership, the chase was never really on. With a couple of overs to stumps, Siraj tried to step out, missed the ball, and it was Hartley again that produced the wicket. Siraj was stumped out, Hartley had gotten his 7th wicket, India had been bowled out for 202, and England had won one of their greatest test match wins ever. After being behind by 190 runs in the first innings, England had shocked the hosts and grabbed the win on the backs of Ollie Pope and Tom Hartley. Ben Stokes later in an interview said this was the greatest win in the time he had been captain.
And whilst India had made mistakes, England had taken this game from their hands and made it their own. India had lost a test at home for the first time after taking a 100+ run lead in the first innings. This was also the first time India had been winless in 3 tests at home in over a decade. Records tumbled, as an ecstatic England team led by their fierce captain marched to a 1-0 series lead after the first game. No one had given England a chance. India was always the favorite, even on Day 4, and yet, England had performed a miracle. They had believed, and a few all-timer performances had brought glory to the three lions. Bazball had arrived in India, and it had worked. It stunned the hosts, and it stunned their fans.
A blanket of quietness set across the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium. The crowd that had been nothing less than phenomenal for all four days, and had supported their team till the last delivery suddenly sat in silence. The English had done the unthinkable. Could you imagine winning against India in India after a 190-run deficit in the first innings? I ruled the possibility out saying only a miracle could flip England’s fortunes. And guess what, Ollie Pope and Tom Hartley had carried England through the gates of the cricketing gods and had forced a miracle over India.
As for India, they made mistakes, a lot of them, and their mindset was one of the major reasons England stood victorious. India's skipper, Rohit Sharma looked clueless and lost on the field once England started counterattacking. All he could do was revert to defensive in and out fields. India had England by the scruff of their neck in England's second innings. They lost their skipper Ben Stokes and were 5 down and 27 runs behind. There was absolutely no need for a defensive field, or to try and restrict the run flow. India was well ahead and well in control at that point. And yet there were no signs of aggression from the home side. Defensive fields allowed both Pope and Foakes to rotate the strike, keep taking singles, and release the pressure. The Pope-Foakes partnership resulted in being the primary proprietor of England's victory. Adding 112 runs, and frustrating the life out of the Indians. When Foakes finally got out, England stood 85 runs ahead, 6 down, with no proper batter other than Pope remaining. This was India's opportunity to stamp authority, make a statement, and go for wickets. A couple more wickets would have all but sealed England's fate. But instead, Rehan Ahmed played an all-timer, building a 64-run partnership with Pope, scoring 28 runs, and taking England through to Day 4.
The story didn't end there, Tom Hartley joined Pope in the middle and made sure England got to a massive score. Hartley batted brilliantly, and credit must go to him, but it looked like Rohit and India were letting him score runs. There was no sense of urgency on the field for the Indians. It looked like they had planned everything but an English counterattack. The camera went to a distraught, uncomfortable, and clueless-looking Rohit Sharma every time England scored a boundary. Below is a picture I took of the Indian field as it appeared on my TV, and it was shocking, to say the least. India had given up long before they started chasing 231. England's batting on Day 3 had destroyed the Indian team, and there seemed to be no coming back from it.
Tactics and strategies had long gone out of the window. Rohit Sharma probably had his worst day as a captain, as he watched the English batters smack the great Indian bowlers all around the park. This is the second-highest total runs Jadeja and Ashwin have conceded in a match. There is no question about it, Bazball has worked. But Bazball has been made to look bulletproof because of how clueless the Indian side was against it. Rahul Dravid after the match said that India has to plan against Bazball, I am sure it is just a way of saying things, but it looked like India's home arrogance cost them the match. It looked like there were no plans in the situation where Bazball would thrive. It is a well-known fact that Pope likes to try all his fancy shots, reverse sweeping, the scoop shot, and playing the ramp shot. And yet, once he began playing those shots, India could neither stop the run-flow nor take his wicket. After his first 20-30 balls, Pope had looked largely untroubled throughout the innings. The Indians had mentally lost this game before they batted again. And it showed on the field. From a fan's perspective, I am frustrated at the lack of tactics and strategy, I am frustrated at the fields we set, and I am frustrated at the lack of proactiveness on the field. England outplayed India, they were better in almost every department after the second day. But it appeared as if India had stopped trying, and this was the biggest reason they lost this match.
The second reason is India's batting performance in the first innings. You must be thinking what the hell am I talking about? India scored 436 runs, which is a massive total, but the reality is, they could have easily scored more. Except for Ashwin, Bumrah, and Siraj, each Indian batter made 20+ runs and faced 25+ deliveries. Three Indian batters got out in the 80s, two in the 40s, and 3 in the 20s and 30s. Barring Ashwin, every one of the Indian batters got dismissed trying to play an attacking shot. Now, here is my question. Why do you need so many attacking shots on Day 2 of a test match? What was the need for Jaiswal, Rahul, or Jadeja to try and take the aerial route in their 80s? Rohit Sharma himself post-match said India could have made at least 50 more runs in the 1st innings. And Rahul Dravid has said India could have made 100 more runs. India threw this match away in every department. The batters were careless. It's a test match, a 5-day affair, your team is batting on the second day and is guaranteed to make big runs. All other bowlers barring Joe Root are struggling. Runs were going to come easy regardless of the approach, all it needed was patience. Here I wonder if the "selfless" and "no milestone" talk has been etched too deeply in this Indian outfit. The "milestones don't matter" talk is sweet to hear about, but the reality of the sport is it needs milestones for a team to thrive. If each batter can make 70-80 runs, the team doesn't need milestones. But that just doesn't happen, does it? The three batters that made it big, and got into their 80s need to convert their 80s into 100s, that is the simple and straight fact. I have been growing sick of this talk about "selflessness" since the World Cup. There has been a little too much attention on not going for milestones and playing for the team. Cricket as a sport is built around milestones. This Indian management might think otherwise, but milestones win you games. Milestones are what people talk about. And if the Indian batters had stuck to conventional test cricket, instead of going for aggressive shots and careless lofted shots, India would've made at least 50 more runs, and the result could have been much different.
I have strong criticism against the Indian skipper and management. But I don't want to be too harsh on them. This might just have been an off-day for Rohit Sharma. This might just have been a match where England were destined to win. And I have faith in Rohit to turn it around in the 2nd test match. After all, he is a fantastic player, a legend of the game, and a very successful and smart captain. Additionally, the Indian side doesn't have a captain blooming or in the running to lead the team if Rohit leaves. Rohit and Dravid are all India have at the moment. And if India is to win this series, this captain-coach duo needs to find a way of their own to outplay England. Bazball is formidable but beatable. And if Rohit Sharma has a good series with the bat and as captain, India will most definitely put up a massive fight if not win.
Ending my rant here, I will say England has truly done the unthinkable. They came to India with Bazball, kicking down India's defenses, and have begun the series by winning an unwinnable game. As we move to Visakhapatnam (Vizag) for the 2nd test, news out of the Indian camp says Jadeja and KL Rahul have been ruled out of the Vizag test, Jadeja due to a hamstring injury, and KL due to soreness in his quad muscles. India have roped in Sarfaraz Khan, Washington Sundar, and Saurabh Kumar into the squad. If picked for the team, it will be a momentous day for one of India's finest batters in the domestic arena - Sarfaraz Khan. Looking at Jadeja's replacement, India will go with either Kuldeep Yadav or Washington Sundar. With the benefit of having looked at the pitch photos, the pitch looks like a flat belter wicket, where India will back their batters to do well, and might go with Kuldeep as a pure bowler option. Regardless of how their replacements do, India will miss Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul. And England will be licking their lips at the opportunity of going 2-0 up in India.
England on the other hand have named their Playing XI, their veteran pacer James Anderson makes a return to the playing XI, as Shoaib Bashir will replace the injured Jack Leach. Here's the full team:
Zak Crawley
Ben Duckett
Ollie Pope
Joe Root
Jonny Bairstow
Ben Stokes (C)
Ben Foakes (wk)
Rehan Ahmed
Tom Hartley
Shoaib Bashir
James Anderson
We have a very exciting fixture on our hands. England will look to gain a 2-0 advantage in the series, and looking at the wicket, Bazball is going to be a force to reckon with in Vizag. India on the other hand will be on the backfoot, coming off a horrid loss, and losing two of their best performers of the 1st test. A cautious Rohit Sharma will lead India into another difficult test match. The major question here will be whether the Indian management has done their homework after the 1st match. Have they planned about things going wrong? And how will England start? An exciting game warms up in a couple of hours time on the southern coast of India, see you after the first day's play in Vizag.
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