Aakash Chopra: England capitulation was deplorable

Aakash Chopra 15:49 01/12/2016
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Mail
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • WhatsApp
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • The Indian team celebrates Jos Buttler's wicket.

    There was a loud cheer in the crowd when Alastair Cook called correctly at the toss in Mohali. The importance of winning the coin flip in India wasn’t lost on the English supporters, for only once this year in Asia has the team that lost the toss gone on to win the match. While winning the toss is an advantage, it’s only half the job done, and England failed miserably in capitalising on the advantage of batting first on a good pitch.

    India would’ve been happy with a couple of wickets in the first session but they got four. While credit should be given to the Indian bowlers for their penetration and discipline in the opening hours of the Test, England can’t escape from the fact that some batsmen fell to ordinary shots. Out of the four wickets that India got, only Haseeb Hameed’s delivery was unplayable, while the rest fell courtesy of loose shots. It was a case of Christmas came early for India.

    INDIAN QUICKS

    There was a time in Indian cricket when fast bowlers were used as a release in home conditions, their overs valued respite for the spinners to break up the long spells. Since conditions never complimented their skills, it was only fair to expect only discipline from the quicks; or so we thought. Team strategies were stitched around spinners and dishing out spin-ready pitches was a norm. To be fair, Indian spinners almost always responded well and India remained a force at home.

    But the pair of Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav are leading a revolution of sorts. It’s the first time India has fielded two fast [not just medium] bowlers and it’s, perhaps, the first time that Indian seamers have outpaced and out-bowled their counterparts. Both Shami and Umesh have consistently bowled over 140kmph, and that has encouraged Virat Kohli to look in their direction whenever a partnership is developing. Since Indian conditions aren’t ideal for them to take five-wicket hauls, it’ll be a grave injustice to judge their efforts based on the numbers in the wickets column. Their presence is allowing Indians to play on fair Test match pitches.

    NUMBERS 7, 8 AND 9

    While chasing a modest first innings score India found themselves in a spot of bother after tea on day two. The first innings deficit was still 80 runs and India had only 4 wickets in hand. The thumb rule of succeeding in India is to make the first innings with the bat count, or else end up chasing your tail. If it’s your turn to bat last, the first innings becomes even more important. That’s when India’s tail stitched together a tale to remember.

    Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Jayant Yadav not only scored fine half centuries, but also pushed England out of the game. On their way to taking a sizeable first-innings lead, they also created history as it was the first time in India’s 505 Test match history that numbers 7, 8 and 9 scored half centuries. Incidentally, it’s happened only seven times in the history of Test cricket. I’ve never seen a stronger Indian lower-order than this unit under Kohli.

    MISSED OPPORTUNITIES

    The third day of most Tests is considered the moving day and, mostly, whichever team wins that day, wins the game. India was 12 runs behind at the end of second day, the second new ball was only a few overs old, and that’s when you felt that England let the game slip. While both Jadeja and Ashwin batted like accomplished batsmen, England’s tactics were baffling. They started the day with Mooen Ali and soon adopted a defensive outside-off strategy for their seamers. If that wasn’t enough, James Anderson bowled only five overs against the wagging Indian tail. Nobody bowled bouncers at Jadeja and Jayant, and the use of Gareth Batty was inexplicable. It felt that Cook had already thrown in the towel and was happy to play with only 10 men.

    The way England fought in Rajkot and Vizag was admirable but the way they capitulated in Mohali was deplorable. For inspiration they need not look further than 19-year-old Hameed. He batted with a fractured finger, played for Root while he was around and then shifted gears while batting with the tail. Things could’ve looked a lot different if some of the English players showed even half of Hameed’s courage. India has got an unassailable lead in Mohali despite losing the toss, and that’s a huge positive. England, on the other hand, must be ruing their missed chances after Cook has won two out of the three tosses and his side yet to play on a rank-turner. While England should use the week between the third and the fourth to regroup, India just need to rejuvenate.

    Recommended