Aakash Chopra: India will stay top for a while

Aakash Chopra 17:40 11/10/2016
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  • Ashwin tends to get the better of the best batsmen in the world

    Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja: 41 wickets

    All New Zealand bowlers: 42 wickets

    This mind-boggling stat shows the way India dominated the series against New Zealand throughout. But the best part about it was the fact that the pitches weren’t dustbowls. In fact, all three pitches were of a different nature, including the one in Kolkata, which suited the visitors a lot more than the hosts.

    The first game in Kanpur was on a slightly more spinner-friendly pitch that tested the batsmen’s skills. Although it must be mentioned that even that pitch wasn’t a rank turner and that’s why the game went into the final day.

    The first Test highlighted the importance of Jadeja in this Test side, especially while playing at home. He’s someone who provides unbelievable accuracy with the ball and some crucial contributions with the bat lower down the order.

    The second pitch had more grass than any of the pitches we’ve seen in India lately, but even then, the Indian fast bowlers out-bowled their opponents. The second Test that decided the outcome of the series brought out the most important facet of this young Indian Test team: the will to fight.

    The tricky Eden Gardens pitch demanded both resilience and technique come to the fore, and the Indian batsmen passed that test with flying colours. The biggest gains from this Test were two relatively lesser known Indian players in Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Wridhiman Saha.

    It’s not often that Bhuvneshwar gets to play Tests in India, but the moment he got an opportunity, he made the most of it. Saha’s will to fight out the tough sessions in both the innings stood out, too, and should encourage Kohli to toy with the idea of playing five bowlers whenever the need arises in the future.

    The only grouse in the first two Tests was the lack of centuries and, therefore, Indore proved he perfect icing on the cake. The Indore wicket was the best pitch to bat on and the Indian batsmen showed that they have the hunger to make the most of the conditions when it’s to their liking.

    Virat Kohli’s discipline, Ajinkya Rahane’s courage and then Cheteshwar Pujara’s versatility proved that both the present and the future of Indian Test cricket are in safe hands.

    But no talk about Indian Test cricket at home is complete without dedicating some portion to the serial series winner, Ravichandran Ashwin.

    He’s not just the second fastest in the world to reach the 200-Test wicket mark but has also won more Man of the Series awards in Tests than any other Indian.

    In addition to picking up bucketful of wickets, he has developed that happy knack of having a wood on the opposition’s best batsman. If it was AB de Villiers against South Africa, it was Kane Williamson against the Kiwis.

    The best part about Ashwin’s dominance over Williamson was the modes of the dismissals, for he trapped a player of Williamson’s quality in an almost identical fashion every single time. Spin bowling is about deceiving the opponent but to deceive him time and again in the same fashion is just sensational.

    This young Indian team is currently the best Test team in the world and the ruthlessness in their attitude and a long home season should guarantee their presence at the top for a really long time.

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