Perhaps Rohit’s best win

The Test win at Rajkot, must surely be the best win under Rohit for India. The closest Test win must be the win at Cape Town where the game was finished inside 2 days. Rohit Sharma has previously won a series against Australia in India but that series win didn’t feel that satisfied. Those wins were achieved on rank turners on which the Indian spinners will always be a menace. He has also won a Test series in the West Indies but winning in the West Indies no longer counts as a significant event. India has now won 5 series in the West Indies consecutively. Something no other Asian team has managed. However, as I have written, it is insignificant. Let me offer my two cents in perhaps Rohit’s best win.

Except for Rohit at the top and Jadeja in the middle, the rest of the batsmen have hardly played at the highest level. Two of them, Dhruv Jurel and Sarfaraz Khan made their debuts at Rajkot. For Jaiswal, this was his 7^th Test. Rajat Patidar was on his 2^nd Test. Gill was the only batsman who has played more than 15 and has been around for more than a couple of years. It would have been perfectly understandable if all of them felt nervous and it resulted in a collective meltdown. For a few overs, it did but the experience of Rohit and Jadeja carried the day. However, the bowling had all the experience Rohit could have asked for but that was also jolted when Ashwin withdrew midway.

The young Indian batsmen

Yashasvi Jaiswal looks like an excellent batsman. He could play defensive cricket as well as he could go on the offensive. He could be ruthless against spinners and quite guarded against the faster men. It is quite rare for an Indian batsman to score a hundred in the 2^nd innings. Jaiswal went one further and converted it into a double. His innings completely deflated the England bowlers and perhaps, that was the reason they were found wanting in the 2^nd innings. Mentally and physically, the Englishmen were destroyed. The Rajkot heat also added to their tiring bodies. By the time, Jaiswal and Sarfaraz posted their individual milestones, England was completely and literally cooked.

The assault on the England bowlers stunned the Indian disbelievers. I must confess that I was one among them. Honestly, I would have been satisfied with a tightly fought win because of the inexperience among the Indian batsmen and the confidence of Bazball on the part of the England players. I also knew that England does not possess a threatening spin attack. However, in Pakistan a couple of years ago, that did not bother them from winning 3-0. The batsmen provided the bowlers with a mountain of runs. It ensured that the bowlers could afford to make multiple mistakes.

Good debut

If Jaiswal toyed with the English attack, I must add that Sarafaz Khan was a revelation. In India, the norm for a debutant is to play according to the merits of the ball and respect the bowler. He more or less wants to ensure that he has a decent outing in the middle so that he can continue to be part of the squad. However, Sarfaraz seems to have been made of a different material. Perhaps, he is influenced by all the talks of Bazball. The confidence and the shot making that he displayed at Rajkot were tremendous. Shubman Gill has a serious competition in the form of Jaiswal and Sarfaraz for the tag of next exciting Indian batsman.

Words of caution

Just a word of caution though. It is all well and good to score in India but to be considered among the good batsmen of the world, leave alone the great ones, both Jaiswal and Sarfaraz must score runs outside of India. Precisely, in South Africa, England, Australia and New Zealand. They do not have to wait for too long because at the end of this year, India will be in Australia. The only reason Gill has been given a longer rope despite his lack of performance is because of that Gabba innings. He was the highest scorer in the 2^nd innings but Pant took away all the credit because he won the game and the series.

That series will define Jaiswal, Sarfaraz and to an extent Jurel. India will dearly want Pant to be back by then but it is anybody’s guess how match-fit will he be at that point. Jaiswal will know that he will be part of the playing eleven whereas the same cannot be said of Sarfaraz. Hence, he must start to practice for the pace and bounce of the Australian pitches rightaway. A lot will depend on the starts that he is able to provide.

Wrapping up perhaps Rohit’s best win

The withdrawal of Kohli just before the start of the series, the unavailability of Shami for the entire series. With injuries to Rahul and Jadeja, Rohit would not have believed that by the end of the 3^rd Test, India would be leading the series. If only Kuldeep Yadav had played in the 1^st Test, perhaps India would have already won the series. His crucial wickets of Ben Duckett and Johnny Bairstow on the 3^rd morning stopped England in their tracks. Though he was expensive, who wasn’t against the relentless attack of the English batsmen, his crucial strikes paved the way for the Indian win.

However, the series is not over yet. Two more games are left. India will do well not to think of resting Bumrah for the next Test. He is imperative to the attack. India must concentrate on winning both the games. It will put them way above the rest in the pecking order for the next WTC final. Any rest can be had during the IPL. I realise that I am the solo voice to voice such an opinion and that come IPL, no one will be offered to skip.