India have shot themselves in the foot through selection blunders

Ajit Vijaykumar 07:05 12/08/2018
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  • Kuldeep Yadav was ineffective at Lord's.

    India entered the five-Test series against England severely disadvantaged by the absence of main fast bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. They also had to make do without main wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha.

    And to add to this perfect storm of personnel issues, no batsman apart from Virat Kohli has looked capable of making a statement in the five Tests. And even Kohli entered the series with hope rather than runs in red-ball matches.

    The first Test in Birmingham was an intense battle which England deservedly won despite Kohli himself scoring 200 runs. Expectations of another fine display from both teams in the second Test at Lord’s were therefore high.

    But after just two days of actual cricket, India have not only been thoroughly outplayed but the calibre of their personnel brutally exposed. Whether or not the tourists somehow manage to avoid defeat in the second Test is immaterial – though a hammering looks on the card. What matters is the decisions made by the Indian team heading into each Test.

    While the focus is on India’s inept batting on admittedly challenging wickets, the bowling mix has left a lot to be desired as well. The difference between the two sides in the first Test was 31 runs, which at the end of the day is not a lot. Therefore, the decision to go in with just one spinner – Ravi Ashwin – on a pitch that offered a lot more to the slower bowlers can be allowed to slide.

    However at Lord’s, England scored at nearly four and a half an over as the Indians had reduced the hosts to 131-5, after they themselves were bundled out for 107 on a stormy Friday.

    Admittedly, it was most clear skies on Saturday in London with the pitch easing out. But it isn’t a flat wicket by any stretch of the imagination. Balls are staying low and there is movement off the wicket. For England to be 250 ahead from that position shows India’s bowling in a poor light.

    Once again, it was a case of bad team selection. After the opening day’s play in London was washed out, the management would have known that the wicket had spiced up and seam bowlers will receive a lot more help than earlier expected. But instead of recalibrating, Kohli stuck to his original plan of fielding two spinners. If there had been no rain, having two spinners would have been the right plan. But not after Thursday’s washout.

    What we got was a shocking situation where not only did left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav look completely ineffective in his nine overs, ace spinner Ravi Ashwin was brought on to bowl only in the 39th over of the England innings.

    While Kuldeep couldn’t maintain his line or sustain pressure, Ashwin was forced into a defensive position from his first over itself. That meant India’s two ‘frontline’ bowlers had been rendered useless as far as taking wickets was concerned. You can try to hide one bowler who is not at his best. Not two.

    When batsmen like Jonny Bairstow and Chris Woakes are scoring freely, the Plan B is to dry up the runs and wait for mistakes. Any decent Test bowling side should be able to do that against middle and lower-order players by packing the square with close in fielders and either bowling straight or fullish outside off. It has been done by many teams on flat wickets over the years but for that you need reliable bowlers. India were avoiding the two they had.

    There is no point thinking about what could have been had Bhuvi and Bumrah been fit. On a pitch where India’s batsmen could only manage 107, England have motored along at over four an over. Coming from the No1 Test team in the world, this is simply not good enough.

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