It was a good win. No doubt about that, especially, when you consider the fact that most of the batsmen are inexperienced. It makes the win all the most satisfying. Jasprit Bumrah and Jaiswal were the standout performers. India can be both satisfied and worried at the sametime because India needs improvement despite the win. The improvement must come rather quickly and immediately. England have proved that they are not going to be pushovers and are here on a mission. Bazball is making the efforts of the Indian bowlers all the more tough. They are aware of the fact that it just is impossible to run through the English lineup, unlike the previous series.
For starters, the Indian team will be boosted by the return of Rahul and probably Virat Kohli. Those two bring in lots of experience and in the case of Kohli, form and class. Kohli has a weakness against left-arm spin which probably Hartley will try to exploit. However, he can be trusted to overcome that weakness against Hartley. The pitches so far haven’t turned square which means, on slightly turning and slow and low pitches, Kohli can overcome the odds. More importantly, it is the psychological uplift that Kohli gives to the team and the shiver that he sends down the opponent’s spine that matters.
Importance of Kohli to the psyche of the team
Sure England would be having plans to counter Kohli and they must. That is the case with every team. It is not any different when it comes to Kohli. Even to this day, it is Kohli’s wicket that is most prized by every opposition because they know what he is capable of and the volume of runs that he can score. His addition will be excellent for an Indian team that is not exactly brimming with confidence.
However, the news about his availability for the 3rd Test onwards is not clear. There are reports that his wife is expecting their 2nd child due to which Kohli wants to be with her on their exciting journey. If that is the case, so be it. India too must adjust to life without Kohli to bail the team out because age is not on his side. Hardly, another year or two, that is the most Kohli can be expected to play the game.
Shreyas hasn’t improved at all against the bouncer
Youngsters must be given a chance to prove themselves and to fill the mega void of Kohli. It is easier said than done but it must be done. Rajat Patidar proved adequate during his stay at the crease. With Rahul expected to be back, I do hope that Patidar is retained and Shreyas is left out. Shreyas is thought of as someone who is a nightmare for the spinners but his displays with the bat at both Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam leaves a lot to be desired. His trouble against the short-ball is prevalent.
It has become so bad that even a slightly slower, Jimmy Anderson, wants to bounce him as soon as he is on the wicket. Shreyas’s struggle is an ungainly sight. In this day and age, it is so shocking to see a batsman terrified of the bouncer even against less-quicker bowlers. It really is surprising that despite knowing the faultline, he still hasn’t found a way around it. Not everyone can be a Ricky Ponting but the lack of an alternate batting strategy makes it frustrating to watch.
Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal
Looking that these two, I am reminded of the early days of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Rohit made his debut way before Kohli did. At that point, Rohit was thought to be the next batting sensation from the country. At the age of 20, he played a couple of blinders in Australia because of which India won the ODI series. Things nosedived subsequently and he never recovered until quite late in his career after he started to open the innings. On the otherhand, Kohli ever since, he made his debut, he didn’t really set Test cricket on fire but in ODI, some of the blinders ensured that he was always part of the calculation in the Tests. Slowly but definitely, he improved his Test batting and became the great that we know him for.
Something similar is happening now. Gill who made his debut in the 2020 Australian series, has a 3 year march over Jaiswal but now, his excruciating struggle means that Jaiswal with the double hundred, the only batsman to score more than 50 in that innings, has taken a march over Gill.
Gill too scored a hundred but has he really returned to form? That is a big question. He could have been out a lot earlier than he did. There is no history to go by to convince oneself that once he is among the runs, he will make every game count. Gill’s career so far has been littered with one too many inconsistencies. He has the firm backing of Dravid and Rohit but it is time he starts to score consistently.
Resting Jasprit Bumrah
There are some rumours floating around that the team management is thinking of resting Bumrah for the 3rd game. The series is locked at one apiece and to think of resting the most successful bowler must be insane. Why is it that whenever a player needs rest, he is rested from playing for the nation and not while playing in the IPL? Someone will have to knock sense into the team management and tell them in no uncertain terms that Bumrah must play.
Any rest, can be had after the series. However, this directive had come directly from the BCCI, it is possible, nothing can be done. We all know that the BCCI does not care about the team or the players or the image of the nation. Their target is money. If the best players need to play in the IPL, it does not matter if he is not playing for the nation.
Wrapping up India needs improvement despite the win
The task is cut-out for India. They will have to bat extremely well and bowl penetratingly well. They are in for a tough series.
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