Author: Bobji

Kohli the owner of 70 international hundreds is struggling for runs at the moment. He used to get to hundreds with nonchalant ease. Off late however, he either does not stay long enough on the pitch to get to a hundred or even if he stays, fails to convert 50s to 100s. What could be the reason for this? Is Kohli over the hill? Does he have lot more hundreds in him? Could there be any other reason? One thing is for sure. Kohli’s lack of runs is a concern.

Kohli is not only the captain of the Indian cricket team, he is also the main batter in the team. The wicket of Kohli is the most sought after for any opponent. The early wicket of Kohli not only demoralises the Indian batting order but it also rejuvenates the opponent manifold. In India, the wicket of Kohli silences the vociferous crowd. When he gets going, he scores his runs at a fast clip and thereby erodes the line and length of the bowlers. This makes the task of fellow batters much more easier because they were able to take advantage of the wayward deliveries. The impact a Kohli innings has is not easy to measure.

Kohli’s lack of runs is it because of exhaustion?

It takes lot of endurance to be able to represent the country in all 3 formats of the game. It is to be noted that he is the captain in all the 3 formats. Not to mention the 14-odd games that he captains for Royal Challengers in the IPL. Captaincy is a tough art. The captain will have to think about the batting order, who bowls when, field placing, think of how to pick up wickets etc. A captain will have to wear his thinking cap on even when he or she is not playing. It takes a heavy mental toll.

During the beginning of his tenure, Kohli did not feel much pressure because he was young and he had lot of ideas. He could not wait to implement them and get favourable results. As days went by, he began to gradually run out of ideas and became much more monotonous. Age began to catch up with him. This is not just for Kohli. It happens to an overwhelming percentage of captains. That is the reason captains always have a shelf life. Kohli too is enduring one such phase. This is certainly because of exhaustion.

It has been more than 40 innings since Kohli got his last hundred. This is across all the formats. He averages just above 26 in tests. However, his limited overs numbers are much better during the same period. That is probably because of the fact that in the limited overs, he has got much more support to score runs. Rohit Sharma is a modern day great in ODIs. The middle and lower order is packed with power hitters. The dependence on Kohli eventhough it is still there is somewhat reduced because of the presence of such players.

Kohli’s is much more important in tests

It is in the longest format where Kohli’s runs are much more important. India often plays with 5 batters, Pant and Jadeja. Pujara and Rahane in the middle has hardly done anything of note. In Rahane’s case, it is much worse. As a result of such mugs with the bat, Kohli will have to assume the bulk of scoring runs. The emergence of Rohit may ease a bit of pressure on Kohli but he is certainly feeling the enormous dependence on him to not only score runs but to play time as well.

This is a tall order for any batter. More so in Kohli’s case because he is also the captain. Anyone who has seen Kohli on the field will know that he spends lot of energy on the field. Some call it aggression and some call it as something that motivates Kohli and the team though I am not in support of such a behaviour on the field. This is bound to exhaust him sooner or later. Captaincy, pressure to score runs, over the top on field behaviour and good opposition bowling. All of them are coming home to roost.

Split in captaincy

Kohli is 33 years old. He has been the captain for more than 5 years. He hardly has another 4 years at the top. The Indian team needs Kohli at his best during his remaining career. It perhaps is time to split the captaincy and let Kohli enjoy remaining days of his career as a pure batter. Let him not worry about bowling changes, batting order and other things in the short format. Let Rohit assume the mantle of limited overs captaincy and Kohli can be in the team for moral support. I will allow him to carry with captaincy in tests because he has contributed quite a lot during his tenure. He deserves to go out on a high. Perhaps win the next WTC title and resign from captaincy.

Kohli’s contribution towards Indian cricket

Kohli’s contribution towards the Indian test team is legendary. He is the one who has brought fast bowling culture. Previously, Indian teams while on tour, were much more defensive in their thinking. The bowlers were much more interested in stopping the run flow rather than pick up wickets. Opposition piled on the misery of the bowlers. The dark years under Dhoni must be remembered forever. Ian Bell, who had a chequered career scored so freely in 2011 that it seemed Dhoni never had any idea how to bowl to him. Ponting and Hussey, who were about to be dropped and who had a horrendous 3 previous years, found a particular liking to all the Indian bowlers. The bowlers were not able to last for more than a couple of spells.

Kohli changed all that. He brought in fitness culture. The new fitness regime not only changed the ability of the bowlers to bowl for long hours but they came back fresh for every spell. The bowlers now started to hunt for wickets rather than slowing the game down. It is now much more exciting to watch the Indian bowlers rather than the Indian batters. Though Ganguly brought the winning culture, it is Kohli who has actually taken it forward after the dark days of Dhoni.

Hence, I think a split in captaincy will help Kohli and the Indian team enormously.

Other reads about Kohli

Should Kohli be replaced as captain?

Criticising Kohli’s batting

Kohli’s poor behaviour

Only for the second time in 35 years have India won more than one test in England. When you think of the following for the game and the number of resources at the board’s disposal, this has a ring of under achievement. Nonetheless, it was a victory that was well earned. England were bowled out twice on a placid pitch that resembled a beautifully laid flight runway. Let me contribute my two cents on an excellent Indian win at The Oval.

Memories of 2014 comes flooding back

When India were struggling at 127/7, memories of 2014 came flooding back. Not just for me but for the entire Indian fans. Back in 2014, India won at Lords though it wasn’t as emphatic as the current win and went onto lose not just the next game but the next three tests. It was an experience that was both chastening and humiliating. Will India ever be able to win in England? Will India be ever able to win more than one test in England? Involving India, will any series be alive in England till the last one? The answer for all these questions were answered by the Indian team quite emphatically at The Oval. It was one thing to break Australia’s record at the Gabba of not losing a single test for 35 years but it was something different to record only the second Indian win at The Oval.

For a decent part of the game, until the end of the second day, the contest was more or less equal. India really began to move ahead of England on day 3. From then on, it became a one-sided contest. England absolutely had no wherewithal to fight. They didn’t know what had hit them and were completely deflated. Such was the mastery of the Indians. The way the Indian bowlers conjured reverse swing was mindboggling. Jadeja kept pounding the rough outside the right hander’s leg-stump and that helped in scuffing the ball which is the basic requirement for a ball to reverse. To that end, Kohli used Jadeja judiciously. Well done to him.

Pujara & Rahane

India certainly had quite a few good performances. Pujara seems to have understood that it is not only important to stay at the wicket but it is also important to score runs. He has now played a couple of innings, at Leeds and at The Oval where he was more intent on scoring runs. It resulted in placing both the team and himself in a much better position. Having said that, these couple of innings must be seen in isolation. If this proves another coming for Pujara, it will only be good for the team. However, the same cannot be said of Rahane. His twin failures, albeit on a pitch where Bumrah and Umesh played effortlessly means that he must surely have played his last test.

Rohit Sharma’s brilliance

I am amongst the group that thinks Rohit Sharma will struggle outside the subcontinent. I even commented rather unceremoniously that Rohit did not want to travel to Australia because he feared failure. Rohit has not only proved doubters like me wrong but he has grown in stature. Not just in this series but also in the WTC finals, he always threatened a big knock but except for the 84 at Lords, he couldn’t go on to with the innumerable number of starts. He chose the perfect moment to score that much expected century with good support from Rahul. His innings changed the complexion of the game. Until that point, England were on the ascendancy but once that lead was wiped off, India surged and surged beyond visibility. Thanks to Rohit Sharma.

Jasprit Bumrah

Enough has been written about Bumrah’s brilliant spell post lunch. I will not venture into that. However, with the World T20 coming up followed by the all-important South African tour, India is yet to win a series in SA, will Mumbai Indians and Rohit Sharma think it to be prudent to rest Bumrah? There is no way he can be rested for the final test because the series is still to be decided.

Excellent decision to demote Rahane

India did the unthinkable. Rahane was demoted in both the innings. In walked Jadeja at number 5. The team management said that it was to split the left handers in the lower middle order but I would like to think of it as a lesson for Rahane and Pant. Jadeja has shown much more composure at the wicket than either of them. This move did change Pant’s approach in the second innings but did nothing to Rahane. Sunil Gavaskar, who certainly knows a thing or two about the game, was way too supportive of his fellow Mumbaikar on air. His reasons did not have any basis at all. He perhaps is too old to remember things and it will not be wrong to wish him all the best and thank him for all these years of commentary.

Umesh Yadav and the rest

Umesh Yadav made a welcome return to the team. His control after all these years, still is a concern. It is unbelievable that he has been around for 10 years and much like Ishant Sharma, hasn’t really established himself at the leader of the bowlers. Just like what Shane Warne said about Panesar, Umesh Yadav has played the same test 49 times.

Shardul Thakur, my MOM

The man who transformed the game in both the innings, Shardul Thakur, he must have been the man of the match. He transformed a poor score in the first innings to some sort of respectability. Without Shardul’s 57, the confidence of the Indian bowlers would have deflated and the confidence of the English players would have increased manifold. There is a big mental impact between a score in the low hundreds to a score that is near 200. It gives the bowlers something to bowl with. Though Shardul was expensive in the first innings he got the important wicket of Pope. It was in the second innings, Shardul showed his real value. Together with Pant, he converted a target that may have interested England to something they would not even dream about. It is a shame that this is a batter’s game.

What about England?

As for England, they can take solace in the fact that some of their prime players were missing from the series. Stokes, Archer & Stone. I will not include Broad and Woakes because they have played one test each and weren’t able to stop India. However, things does not look much rosy for England for the Ashes. Anderson and Robinson will perhaps be not that effective and as will Overton, Curran and Woakes. Stokes is mandatory and they need to find bowlers with pace. Let us wait for The Ashes.

Other reads

First test analysis

Second test analysis

Third test analysis

India’s batting at Headingley

Virat Kohli is the most successful Indian captain. He is far ahead of the next successful Indian captain, MS Dhoni. The Indian test team under Kohli has been more or less invincible at home and in favourable conditions. His win-loss record up until the end of The Oval test is 2.37. This is an incredible record for an Asian captain. It is somewhat surprising to note that Kohli now holds the record for most wins among the Asian captains in the SENA countries. Much better than Imran Khan who was known to have united a set of players known to pull in different directions. For that matter, MS Dhoni who is thought to be a shrewd captain and good in managing players. Ranatunga, the burly batter who lifted the spirits of an entire island nation to achieve greater deeds. Should Kohli be replaced as captain? Let me see.

Mastered Sri Lankan and West Indian conditions

There is absolutely no question over the fact Kohli’s record in India, Sri Lanka and West Indies it top class. His record speaks for itself. The last time, the Indian team toured Sri Lanka, they won 9-0. It includes 3 tests, 3 ODIs and 3 T20s. The one before, India won 2-1. He is the only Indian captain to have won 2 consecutive series in the West Indies. It is a different matter both the teams aren’t that good any longer. Nonetheless, these are creditable wins. Winning a series outside the country for any captain is a commendable achievement. It is not the wins that is important but the manner of these wins because India absolutely decimated Sri Lanka and West Indies.

Total dominance at home

Indian team’s dominance in India under Kohli is absolute. 23 wins in 30 tests. They have annihilated every team that ever visited these shores. The wins in India provided a huge boost to Kohli overall win-loss record though it is not insignificant. In most of these games, Kohli himself contributed immensely with his bat.

However, scratch the surface, the picture perhaps in not that rosy but still better than most of the other captains.

The most challenging tours

The main challenge under Kohli is for India to win series in the SENA countries. SENA stands for South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia. By the time, Kohli became the captain, wins in India and other nations that are not part of SENA became more or less a formality. India became too strong for all those teams in India. What started under Ganguly snowballed nicely into total dominance within the shores of the country. Strangely, the story when India travels to the SENA countries is the exact opposite. India hardly managed to win any in those countries except in 2007 & 2008 in England and New Zealand.

Most of the time, it was utter disgrace. Under Dhoni 0-4, 1-4 and its ilk became common. It was under such circumstance did Kohli became the captain. Have the results in these countries improved? Were the team able to avoid being humiliated under Kohli? Let me analyse further.

Record in the SENA countries

Kohli has had few opportunities to captain the team in the SENA countries. The current tour to England is his second opportunity. Apart from this, he lead the side twice in New Zealand, once in South Africa and twice in Australia if the series during which Dhoni relinquished his captaincy is discounted. India won the 2018 series in Australia under Kohli. However, there will always be an asterix attached to that series because it was Smith and Warner less and moreover, the Australians were there for the taking. They had absolutely no confidence whatsoever and perhaps fielded the worst batting unit in living memory.

If that series is not counted, he had only one other chance in Australia in 2020-21 and he fluffed that. Remember that India won the series but it was under Rahane. Kohli lost the only test he had captained.

In New Zealand, Kohli is yet to win a test leave alone a series. In South Africa, he failed to win the only series.

Kohli has a golden opportunity to correct the abnormality. India is currently leading 2-1 against England and has every opportunity to win the series. Towards the end of the year he will get one more crack at South Africa who are ripe for the taking. If Kohli wins both the series, his legacy will be firmly entrenched alongside captains who have won in every country where they have captained.

Kohli and his uneasy relationship with limited overs cricket

The real challenge for Kohli is in the limited overs format. Both T20 and ODI. This is where Kohli has struggled for concrete results. Yes, he still has a good record. More than 60% of the games have been won. However, what stands out glaringly is the fact that the Indian team under Kohli has never managed to win any global tournament. This includes the 2017 Champions Trophy, 2018 T20 WC, 2019 ODI WC and the recently concluded WTC. To make matters worse, Kohli failed to perform as a batter in all these events. This leaves a lot of questions to be asked. Is Kohli mentally tough to pull off wins at the ICC events? Does he have the so called killer instinct for such events? The answer so far seems to be in the negative.

It is not just the ICC tournaments but Kohli is yet to win a single IPL trophy. He has led Royal Challengers Bangalore for 8 straight years. Yet, except for one final appearance, RCB have hardly done anything of note. It is just a miracle that a captain who has not won the IPL trophy after 8 years is still able to continue to be the captain.

Few more opportunities

Kohli will get couple more chances within the next 2 months. First to win his first ever IPL trophy and in November the World T20. Winning IPL is not going to enhance his reputation but winning a major ICC tournament certainly will. Kohli himself will want to correct this imbalance on his CV.

Conclusion

Kohli has done enough at the test level to continue as the skipper but in limited overs, unless he wins this year’s T20 WC, he must be replaced as skipper. Rohit Sharma who has much better credentials will have to takeover.

Other topics about Kohli can be read here and here.

India were bowled out for 78 in the 3^rd test against England at Headingley. This is second such instance in the last 10 tests when the entire team weren’t able to cross the 3 figure mark. Was this because of poor team composition? Were the team over confident? Did the usual suspects fail to perform once again? Should India have bowled first having miraculously won the toss? The answer to all these questions is an emphatic Yes. Let me analyse the horrible atrocious Indian batting.

Let me first analyse the team composition

The team for this test remained unchanged from the one that won at Lords. This was the first mistake. It seems that Kohli and the management did not realise that the Lords test was won not because of any extraordinary batting performance. For that matter, not even a decent one. Remove Rohit and Rahul, the batting card looked quite poor. Pujara, Kohli and Rahane weren’t able to do much with the bat. Yes supporters will point to the runs that Pujara and Rahane scored in the 2^nd innings. They will argue that their innings not only saved the game but ensured that India were on the ascendancy which eventually helped Bumrah and Shami to bat freely.

This cannot be further from the truth. India were well placed at the end of the first day but the capitulation on the 2^nd day ensured that India were short by atleast 100 runs. Pujara who has completely forgotten how to score and Rahane who is blowing his own trumpet when no one would, is still allowed to be part of the playing 11.

One if not both must have been dropped for the 3^rd test. There is sufficient batting reserve and one of them must have played. You would never know. Perhaps that batsman may have changed the game.

The stupidity of 4 number 11s must stop

For the 2^nd successive game, India went in with 4 number 11s. Ishant, Bumrah, Shami and Siraj. Any bowling side that looks at this lineup will be so happy that all they have to do is get the top 5 and the rest will fold. It is another matter that the Indian middle order too is playing like tailenders. Even the great West Indian and Australian sides never had this lengthy tail. Warne and Gillespie for Australia, Marshall and Holding for West Indies were more than capable of holding their own.

These Indian bowlers are not in the same class and yet Kohli thought it to be prudent to play all the 4 of them. The fact of the matter is that these players hardly inspire any confidence. It will definitely play in the minds of the rest of the team. They will know that the team has a long tail and hence, they will need to be much more careful. It will confuse the minds of the batters and they will miss out on scoring opportunities and will look to survive. This is a wrong way to approach batting.

Rohit Sharma who is usually a free scoring batsman was stagnant throughout his innings. He just didn’t know what to do. Whether to bat as he normally does or should he wait in the hope that someone will support him at the other end? In the end, he did neither and got out rather tamely. The batting must have been strengthened with the inclusion of either Mayank or Vihari. If Kohli required 5 bowlers, with either Ashwin or Shardul. Will Kohli swallow his ego and learn? It remains to be seen.

Nasser Hussain, the much respected commentator has nailed it

“Now India are going in with four No 11s. It cannot be the way to go in England — you can always lose a couple of early wickets, as they did on Wednesday, and your No 8 in Shami has to start looking for his pads,” he added.

Should India have bowled first?

Surprisingly, Kohli won the toss but blundered with opting to bat. Not because past scores on this ground suggested to bowl first but looking at the cloud cover and thinking about the long tail, perhaps Kohli must have opted to bowl first.

How long will Pujara and Rahane be tolerated?

It is now confirmed that both Pujara and Rahane are spent forces. They do not have anything to contribute to the team anymore. They have been virtual passengers over 5 years now. Coupled with Kohli’s struggles, there just isn’t space to accommodate 2 more. Michael Vaughan says,

“Pujara looks all at sea. Looks like he has lost his mind, lost his technique. Looks to me like he is playing purely for survival. And Jimmy found the outside edge of Pujara. And then it’s just pressure. The ball was swinging around nicely.”

What Vaughan says is true. He just does not have the strokes any more to score runs. He has actually forgotten how to score and is rather intent on survival. Pujara hopes to scores runs rather than wanting to score runs. When a batter reaches this point, it is time for him to go. As for Rahane, his failures are far too many and far too wide and it is just a miracle that he is still tolerated. I just hope that the Mumbai lobby is not behind his continuous inclusion.

The strange case of Ishant Sharma

There is a growing belief that Ishant Sharma has improved his bowling tremendously over the last 5 years. I too thought that he has. However, the statistics seems to show just the opposite. From 2016, Ishant has taken 110 wickets at around 26 per wicket. However, he required 35 tests to take 110 wickets which is just above 3 per test. This is more or less the same as his career aggregate. In effect, Ishant hasn’t really improved.

Hopefully, better sense will prevail. Shastri and especially Kohli will swallow their ego and select the best combination. If it means 6 batters so be it. If it involves Ashwin or Shardul so be it or dropping Ishant, so be it.

Other reads

Has Rohit cracked Test cricket?

India won at Lords but….

Trent Bridge test analysis

There has been lot of hue and cry over Ashwin not playing the first couple of tests in England. Yes, Ashwin is the leading wicket taker amongst the current Indian bowlers. He has more than 400 test wickets. He is considered as the best spinner in the world at the moment though I will not agree with that assessment. Anyway, that is for another day. For now, is Kohli justified in keeping Ashwin away? Also, there are reports of a group of 30 young Indian cricketers shifting their base to America. This must not be ignored. Let me try to analyse Ashwin not playing & Indian cricketers travelling to America.

Ashwin’s past is hurting his present

Ashwin is certainly a champion bowler if the pitch suits him. Just a cursory glance at his record will show that he has been dominant in the sub-continent and in West Indies. These are pitches that suit spin bowling and coupled with not so good batters, Ashwin has been destructive to state the least. However, his record in the SENA countries is what is troubling most. Agreed that he has improved recently. His recent showing in Australia where he picked up Smith twice is a case in point. Added to that, his match-saving innings at Sydney. However, it must be noted that Ashwin was never in the mix for that series. If not for Jadeja’s injury, Ashwin would not have played any part in that series. This already makes Ashwin as the second choice spinner in the current team. Having played the series, yes he grabbed the chance with both his hands but that is beside the point.

Kohli has a different mindset

India off late, under Kohli seems to have gravitated towards the faster bowlers to pick up 20 wickets. Kohli has realised the importance of fast bowlers in the SENA countries and as such, he has ensured that they remain fit not just for the session or the day or infact the entire test but for the whole series. As such, his team does not have room for more than one spinner unless the pitch demands more than one. Moreover, Jadeja’s performance as a batter over the last 4 years is nothing short of excellent.

He has more than adequately filled the 6^th batter’s role and if required, if there is real assistance for the spinner on day 5, he is quite handy to exploit that. Yet, I do not expect Jadeja to win a test with his bowling away from India.

Kohli must have weighed in the runs that Jadeja is capable of scoring with that of Ashwin’s wicket taking ability and has decided to go with Jadeja. With Kohli himself alongwith Pujara and Rahane struggling for runs, an extra batter is deemed to be essential.

Kohli has seen how India under Dhoni struggled to bowl the opposition out. How the opponents have piled on the runs. The humiliating defeats in Australia, England, South Africa and New Zealand have certainly played on his mind. He is quite confident that even if the tail is a bit long for everyone’s liking, the bowlers are capable of restricting the opposition to a score of less than 300. All he wants from the top 6 and Jadeja is a score of 350 which must be gettable on most surfaces.

Case for an allrounder

He showed that at Lord’s but I for one would advise caution. If not Ashwin, it is better to go with one more batter who can bowl or one more bowler who can bat. It can be Ashwin or Shardul or Pandya or Kumar. The batting is lean with the middle order not contributing and India won the test at Lord’s only because of the unexpected runs from the bat of Bumrah and Shami. Whether Kohli will swallow his ego remains to be seen.

Exodus of Indian cricketers

There are reports that a group of 30 Indian cricketers, possibly below the age of 30 have retired from cricket and have or about to move to America to play in the American league.  The Indian board does not allow the Indian players to play in other leagues and if anyone wants to, he will have to retire and then join the other league. This list includes Unmukt Chand. The former U19 captain who was thought to be someone who will achieve a lot at the international level. In a country with this much population, 30 may not be substantial but are these just the first drops as the tap is being opened? Is there any guarantee more and more players will not be sucked into plying their wares in America? Wouldn’t that rob India of some of the good players?

For too long, South Africa had this problem of seeing their players moving to England and thereby abandoning South Africa. The Indian board must ensure that similar fate does not befall India. They can arrive at a compromise. Those who are not within earshot of being selected for India, can very well go on to play in other leagues and they do not have to retire. They can play in India and the league. The other method is to maintain multiple teams so that good players can be given a chance to represent India.

Professional sportspersons time is limited

There is nothing wrong in players choosing to move to America. Afterall, they do not know anything outside of the game and as such their shelf life is limited. They will have to make the most out of their limited time being a professional cricketer.

India just cannot afford to lose the services of the talented cricketers. A Chand or a Smit Patel has started the exodus. What if they are followed by Shreyas Iyer or the Pandya brothers or some of the younger lot? The BCCI must be alert to such eventualities and will have to ensure that atleast the top 200-500 cricketers are properly taken care of. Hopefully, BCCI will listen to their grievances.

Other blogs involving Ashwin

Manjrekar about Ashwin

Ashwin and non-striker backing

Rohit Sharma, the lazy elegance, the player with supreme touch and the ball races to the boundary. The bowler is not offended at all because he never felt the impact. Instead, he is also in awe looking at that shot. The murderous pull of anything pitched short is also treated by the bowler as something that is expected on the cricket field and he never responds with the same ferocity as is normal. Such is the impact of the shots that Rohit Sharma plays. Now that he is beginning to look the part, has Rohit Sharma cracked Test cricket? Finally?

The record so far suggests that Rohit perhaps could have been given a chance to open a few years before he eventually got the chance. There was a period when India struggled to find proper test openers after the Sehwag & Gambhir period. So many openers were tried and discarded. Some were reasonably successful like Vijay but other like Dhawan was a complete failure. Especially whenever India travelled abroad. Perhaps, Rohit would have been more than successful on those tours and perhaps, just perhaps, India could have won few more games. Nevertheless, he has been given a chance now and with age not on his side, it looks like Rohit is a man on a mission. This only means good news for India.

A brief look at his initial years

In the earlier days, it was really tough for Rohit to get into a team that consisted of Rahul, Laxman, Ganguly & Tendulkar. Even the opening slot wasn’t available. Despite this, he still got some chances but he failed to make use of any. If only he had scored, he could have easily replaced a Laxman or a Ganguly.

Eventually, doubts were raised about his ability to deal with test cricket. He was thought to be not fit for test cricket. Heck, he even had multiple forgettable time in limited overs. All of that changed when he began to open the innings in ODIs. Couple of good outings and he had never looked lost since then. The fabulous 2019 World Cup was the peak of his achievement as an opener with 5 hundreds. Eventually, he opened in test cricket too after Vijay, Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw and a few others were deemed unfit for test opening.

Rohit the opener

Rohit had a great series against South Africa at home but his real test was in Australia and in England. He didn’t travel with the original team to Australia citing injury though he turned out for Mumbai Indians. Even I casted aspersions on his will to survive in test cricket. I had written that Rohit is afraid to travelling to Australia because he fears failure. He fears losing his test spot once and for all. He proved me wrong and though Rohit wasn’t a grand success in Australia, he did contribute meaningful runs.

Inbetween Australia and England, Rohit played a gem of a knock against England on a turning pitch. It was the decisive innings of the series. England having won the first test, never recovered after that innings.

Rohit has become so efficient at opening that nowadays it is always who will partner Rohit. He has certainly grown in stature. He proved his credentials in all the 3 tests in England so far. Having started with 3 successive scores in the 30s he got out everytime just when he was looking too comfortable. Alas, that was to change at Lord’s when he was the chief aggressor against an England side that was confident after Anderson returned one more five-fer. The 80odd is easily the best innings Rohit has played in his short test career. He saw Rahul virtually score-less at the other end and took it upon himself to score the runs. At one stage, he outscored Rahul 5-1. Such was his domination. No one would have grudged a hundred for Rohit but it wasn’t to be.

Having seen his prowess as an opener, it is only a matter of time before he starts to score heavily even in the SENA countries.

How much has ODI contributed

The limited overs format seemed to have galvanised Rohit the test player. The placid pitches that are dished out throughout the world for the short format has certainly increased the confidence of Rohit. Afterall, he holds the record for the most number of runs in ODIs. The tremendous volume of runs that he has scored in the shorter formats and against some of the best bowler has had an influence on Rohit. It made him believe that he belongs to the highest level of cricket.

The runs made him believe that he is good enough to score multiple daddy hundreds against all kinds of attacks. Eventually, this confidence has rubbed on Rohit the test opener and as a result he is set to blossom. I will not be surprised if he after all these years eventually ends up with a test average in excess of 50. If that happens, will he be considered a great batter or merely a good one with occasional gusts of wind? Only time will reveal the answer. For now, let us sit back and regal in the second or third or fourth coming of Rohit.

He must resist his urge to pull

Rohit is a compulsory hooker and puller. We all know that. He is so good off the backfoot and judges the line of the delivery that he is quick to rock back and play the pull with ease. For an Indian batter, this is a revelation. Not even Dravid or Sachin played the pull with so much authority. It is a shot that has fetched Rohit a lot of runs. It is also a shot that has brought his downfall. Now, the bowlers will know that no matter what the situation or the number of fielders in the rope, Rohit, if the ball is short, will always pull the ball. He will not even consider keeping the ball along the ground.

He will always want to clear the boundary. Ultimately, Rohit falls into the trap and gets caught at square leg or long leg. He must resist the urge to pull every short delivery. Especially, the ones that are above his head and on the leg stump. It is a line from which any batter will find it very difficult to keep the ball on the ground.

If Rohit selects the delivery for the pull or hook, it will not only benefit the team but it will also benefit Rohit immensely. Bowlers will have to think of a different plan to get him out. This will give him much more scoring opportunities. Will Rohit resist? Let us wait.

The second test between India and England was a good advertisement for test cricket. Yes, it wasn’t always played in the right spirit but the quality of the game was good. It has some great individual performances as well as some performances that do not deserve any merit. In the end, yes India won but there are questions to be answered.

Pujara and Rahane does not deserve an extended run

Yes India won but the weakness of which there are several is likely to be not addressed atleast until the end of the series. The known non-performers like Pujara & Rahane, are still short of runs. Fortunately for Rahane and unfortunately for the rest, Rahane scored a crucial 65 in the second innings. Though it was a slow and laborious innings, it helped the team to reach a respectable score before he was out. Supporters of Rahane will now come out and utter the same nonsense all over again. That Rahane always contributes when the team is in trouble. He is unlikely to be replaced this series unless he is injured.

Pujara on the otherhand, was back to his best in that having played more than 200 deliveries, he was able to score only 46. Supporters of both Pujara and Rahane must realise that both of them created lot of pressure and by the time they got out, India did not progress that far. The score remained within the grasp of England.

The team management will do well to replace one of Pujara and Rahane with Mayank or Vihari or Surya. Kohli’s prolonged inability to score runs, is also proving to be a headache. The fact that India won the game must not hide the obvious weakness.

The team selection was also faulty. The batting was completely weakened with the inclusion of Ishant for Shardul. In the absence of Shardul, Ashwin would have been the obvious replacement. Both for his batting ability and his bowling.

Lower order batting

India must remember that they got out of jail because of some extraordinary lower order hitting and a generous and liberal English bowling. Geoffrey Boycott had that much to say about the English bowling.

“This Test match has proved two things. Firstly, if you are stupid you do not deserve to win Test matches.”

The English bowlers instead of aiming for the stumps were aiming everywhere else. They ran out of ideas quite quickly. If a Mark Wood had stumbled upon stupidity, it was understandable. Moreover, he has pace which will unsettle any batter leave alone a tailender but to see the most experienced bowler in international cricket, James Anderson, losing the plot, it was a surprise.

Joe Root at his best but captaincy-wise not so

Joe Root was at his majestic best. He is having a dream run off late. Extremely successful in Sri Lanka and a good outing in India following by couple of hundreds in England. He remains an asset for England. However, his captaincy leaves a lot to be desired. This was his 54^th test as captain. If he was carried away by the verbal and as a result got his tactics wrong, it raises serious questions about his ability to think clearly.

I have always said this. Joe Root is not captaincy material. He lost a major part of his career where his runs could have saved England multiple times because of captaincy. Root the batsman is much more essential for England than Root the captain.

Boycott said, “ Joe Root’s century took England to a winning position, but we lost the match because of his bad captaincy.”

Looking forward to the next test

Kohli and Shastri will do well to reflect on the balance of the team. Headingley where the next test is to be played, is known to assist the seamers during the first couple of days. Siraj, Shami & Bumrah are mandatory. However, I will replace Ishant with Shardul to add a bit of batting to the lower order. Remember, Shardul has been quite successful so far in international cricket. He deserves a longer run.

Let us hope that the rest of the series will be played in good spirit. Anderson and Kohli we know are perhaps not good when it comes to on-field behaviour. It is heartening to see Kohli standby his teammates when they were cornered but let us hope that better sense prevails.

First test review can be read here.

Did India miss a golden opportunity to win the first test against England? Yes, they certainly did. Did they get the combination wrong? Not really but they did blunder in picking Rahane in the playing eleven. Could they have done something different? Yes, concentrate on scoring runs. Let me analyse the first test.

Rahane’s continuous inclusion is baffling

It was really unfortunate that both Pujara and Rahane found a spot in the playing eleven. Especially Rahane who has done everything within his power over the last 7-8 years to be dropped. Yet, he is in the team constantly. Fortunately for him and unfortunately for the team, whenever he scores runs, which is infrequent, India wins. For eg, the hundred at Melbourne or the 80odd that he scored in India’s tour of England in 2018 at Headingly. However, no one asked the question why did he fail in the 1^st and 4^th test of the same series which would have helped India to win the series?

Here he was in such desperate hurry that he somehow wanted to get out of the ground. Perhaps he does not have it in him to fight the elements and score. It certainly is time for India to move on from Rahane.

Pujara’s inability to score

As for Pujara, his inability to score runs and lack of foot movement while at the crease is posing a lot of problems for India. When the team plays with only 5 batters with Pant and Jadeja as support, it is pretty important that the top 5 score sufficient runs for the bowlers to defend. Pujara’s circumspection at the wicket is causing lot of problems for the rest of the batters.

Shardul Thakur is quite impressive

Shardul Thakur is not quick. Thakur is not someone who will capture someone’s imagination at the first sight. He is not someone whom you will trust to pick up wickets. In reality though, he has done exceedingly well in his career all but 3 tests old so far. He picked up 8 at Brisbane and followed it with a match-winning 60. Here he picked up 4 that includes Root and Buttler. Though he failed with the bat, he was mighty impressive. Infact, his wickets were much more cheaper than Siraj.

Mohammed Siraj must control his aggression

Siraj played only his second test. His behaviour on the field was appalling. Root toyed with his bowling and yet he had the nerve to abuse the opponents. So much so that even Virat Kohli, who has a history of outrageous behaviour had to tell him to calm down. Siraj will do well to improve his bowling and pick up wickets before indulging in such antics.

Good opening partnership

India failed to make use of a good opening partnership between Rohit and Rahul. Rahul after a longtime, looked solid and Rohit fell just when he looked good. It is not often that India gets such a good opening partnership in the SENA countries but the middle order made a huge mess out of it. It remains to be seen whether Rahul will be able to continue with his solidity.

Classy Root

Remove Root, England’s batting looks barren. 5 of the top 6 is either inexperienced or does not have the game at the international level. Burns and Sibley occupies the crease for a longtime, a la Pujara, but fails to convert them to substantial scores. Root played a couple of beautiful innings that ultimately proved to be the difference between an Indian win and a draw. The hundred with England staring down the barrel was priceless. He is really having a fabulous period. With double hundreds and hundreds.

Anderson the ageless wonder and Bumrah

Two bowlers who are at the opposite ends of their respective career, bowled absolutely beautifully. Bumrah’s wickets are much more important to India in that he is the leader of the attack. The fact that he took 9 including a 5-fer, will improve India’s confidence manifold. Anderson just keeps going on and on and on. Doesn’t he? He is proving what a champion player he is. He seems to keep getting better. Especially in England. With Arthur and Stone ruled out and Stokes not certain to be back, Anderson remains vital for England’s chance in this year’s Ashes.

Who would have won if the rain had stayed away?

History, based on the twin failures in 2018 points to England. India failed to chase 192 and 245. Based on the decent start and just about 150 required on a batting wicket, points to India. Anyway, the first game is done and dusted. Off to the second one.

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Frustrating to follow the Indian team