Curran's left-arm angle, mental toughness should have secured his spot in Trent Bridge

Ajit Vijaykumar 19:39 17/08/2018
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  • Unlucky Sam Curran.

    England have a problem of plenty at the moment. They can loan a few players to the beleaguered Indian team and still have enough firepower to field a top-choice playing XI.

    After Ben Stokes was brought into the team, the England management had the unenviable task of asking a player to vacate the spot.

    Drop Ollie Pope? England need some stability in the middle order as there is pressure on Jonny Bairstow with Jos Buttler not in the best of form. How about Adil Rashid? He did not bowl, bat, take a catch or affect a run out at Lord’s. Well, you do need one spinner if the pitch assists. Can’t drop Chris Woakes as he hit a match-winning ton and picked up four wickets in the second Test. Keaton Jennings is not in form but at least he looks decent as an opener. How about Buttler? Well, he has earned his recall and did well against Pakistan, plus he is a senior player so can’t do that.

    Therefore, England decided to drop Sam Curran. The left-arm seamer has been a revelation with the ball and bat in both Tests. His match-winning fifty in the first Test, 40 in the second and six wickets across two games have helped the hosts maintain the upper hand. Curran only took one wicket in the second Test but he beat the bat every other delivery and could have easily had five in the match.

    Moreover, he is the only left-arm swing bowler on either side and that is a huge advantage in a series that has a bit of sameness to it when it comes to seam bowling attacks.

    Joe Root said asking Curran to sit out was one of the toughest decisions he has made as a skipper. It’s a decision that might not cost the hosts as India are low on confidence and someone like James Anderson himself is enough to rattle Virat Kohli‘s men in seamer-friendly conditions.

    But looking at the long-term, Curran’s classic left-arm swing bowling and immense composure at the crease, along with his dogged batting are qualities that England need to develop and nurture.

    All that could have easily ensured Curran’s continued selection. If Root had decided to drop Pope, Rashid or even Jennings, it could have been justified by numbers. But England have made up their mind and now it’s up to Curran to wait for his next chance.

    England are on top at the moment. But if India somehow manage to put up a fight, England might just start to miss Curran’s angle with the ball and composure with the bat.

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