After the first Test in Rajkot didn’t go according to plan, the Indians went back to the tried-and-tested formula, as was expected. A bone dry pitch awaited them in Vizag and all Virat Kohli had to do was win the toss, bat first and wait for one partnership to flourish and bat England out of the contest by the second day itself.
As has happened on numerous occasions over the past few seasons, that’s exactly how it panned out. Once Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara cracked centuries and took India’s total past 400, the hosts took control of the match. They could now crowd the England batsmen and attack the stumps all day with three spinners, including the incredibly accurate but less-than dramatic Jayant Yadav.
Kohli must be mighty pleased with the effort as almost everything he tried worked perfectly. Two batsmen scored big hundreds, Ravi Ashwin picked up five to earn the team a 200-run lead and from that point, there was going to be just one winner.
The Indians were sloppy in the first Test, spilling five catches which took the sting out of their bowling. After what must have been some punishing fielding drills, India plugged that gap in the second match and got back to the level viewers are accustomed to.
However, they must remember things can change quickly. In the 2012 series at home, India took a 1-0 lead after a thumping win in Ahmedabad and went on to lose the series on tailor-made pitches. In a long drawn series, lessons must be learned from any result because positives and negatives multiply over a period.
The last time, India underestimated the potency of England’s pace attack and the solidity of its spinners and paid the price for it. Kohli can’t afford to make that mistake this time.
And the Indian team management must have taken note of the fact that the tourists bowled them out for 204 in the second innings and themselves batted for nearly 100 overs in the last innings. Those are significant achievements.
England too shouldn’t take the defeat to heart. There has been criticism of their slow batting in the last innings but the fact is they batted for 97.3 overs, which is the fifth highest by any team in the fourth innings of a Test in India since 1990. Some confidence must be gained from surviving for so long. Sure, England folded up quickly on day five but up until the end of the fourth day – when Alastair Cook was out lbw – they stood up to India’s challenge with conviction.
Also, pace ace James Anderson was excellent. He bowled with intent for 35 overs and picked up four wickets in the Test. His pace was up and Anderson was able to get the ball to move. As he nears complete bowling fitness, the 34-year-old will be a greater threat and in the absence of Stuart Broad, the load will only get heavier.
The series now moves to Mohali and after that Mumbai. These are the two venues where England have a greater chance of fighting on an equal footing as the wickets are more conducive to seam bowling, especially Mumbai where they have won the previous two Tests.
India don’t need to be alarmed but must remember they can’t keep winning tosses every time. If tracks in the upcoming matches prove to be difficult and England bat first, anything can happen. Kohli and co must keep their guard up and be prepared for a prolonged fight which goes into the fifth day because England are proving to be no pushovers.
