Three positives for India from two-day win over Afghanistan in Bengaluru Test

Ajit Vijaykumar 10:31 16/06/2018
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  • Ravi Ashwin flighted the ball beautifully in Bengaluru. Image: BCCI.

    A Test win inside two days doesn’t really tell you how good a team really is because deficiencies, if any, get swept under the carpet even before they come up for scrutiny.

    India dismantled Afghanistan‘s line-up with clinical precision to win the Bengaluru Test by an innings and 262 runs to reinforce their status as the No1 Test team in the world. Centuries from Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay, followed by wickets from all frontline bowlers made it a near-perfect performance from the Indians.

    With India’s next big Test assignment being the five-match series in England, we look at three positives India can take from the Afghanistan Test to England.

    FORM OF OPENERS

    Dhawan (r) and Vijay both scored centuries.

    Dhawan (r) and Vijay both scored centuries.

    Openers are going to be crucial in English conditions and India need the best available options in as much form as possible. Murali Vijay hardly gets to bat nowadays in pressure situations and he got to play just one match for the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL. Shikhar Dhawan was in fine touch in the IPL for Sunrisers Hyderabad but but red-ball cricket is a different beast and with the left-hander, you never know.

    However both batsmen got centuries against Afghanistan on a true surface under overcast conditions, which should count for something. Dhawan scored a century before lunch, underlining his match-winning potential while Vijay got to spend time in the middle, which is just the assurance the Tamil Nadu batsman and the Indian management needed.

    PACERS ON TARGET

    Mohammed Shami, arguably India’s best pacer in all conditions, failed a fitness Test for the Afghanistan Test. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah were rested. Which meant Test specialist Ishant Sharma and and out-of-favour Umesh Yadav led the pace attack against the Afghans.

    Ishant was back after a successful stint in county cricket for Sussex while Yadav – who has enough Test experience under his belt – was superb for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL. Both bowed with pace and got movement in the air and off the pitch. Can’t ask for more.

    ASHWIN’S LOOP

    One of the bigger concerns for the Indian management was off-spinner Ravi Ashwin’s decision to switch to leg-spin in the IPL in order to fight his way back into the limited overs set-up. Reports emerged of the management fearing Ashwin would lose his strength in Tests – off-spin – if he continued down that path.

    During the IPL, Ashwin went back to off-spin and in the Afghanistan Test, was at his best. Ashwin gave a lot of air to the ball and beat the batsmen with flight. Afghanistan is not a strong batting unit by any stretch of the imagination but watching Ashwin get the ball above the eyeline of batsmen was a sight to behold.

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