India and England will complete the final test of the 2021 series next week. India is currently leading the series 2-1 after excellent wins in Lord’s and at The Oval. The win at The Oval was much more comprehensive than the win at Lord’s which was achieved mainly because of some excellent hitting by Bumrah and Shami. Otherwise, it could well have been England who will be leading in this series. India had valid reasons for not being able to play in the final test. Now things are much different despite the fact that the captain himself is Covid positive, the game will go on. This is the final test preview.
India’s lack of preparation
One would have expected that India, leading the series, would want to win the final test or atleast draw the test and take the series. Towards that end, they would have had high intensity and committment and would have given everything in the only tour game. Ideally, they would have wanted to be in decent form before the all important test. Remember, there is also WTC points at stake.
This must have motivated them to ensure that no stone is left unturned. Instead what we got was a farce of a tour game with a lot of players playing for both the teams and players who had got out, coming in to bat again. Never have I seen such a ridiculous game. With zero red-ball cricket over the last 3 months, it was a golden opportunity that was missed. I just hope that oneday, India will realise the importance of tour games.
Close to 3 months playing T20 cricket, the technique of the batsmen and the bowlers would have been accustomed to that form of cricket. As such, it will require 3-4 solid and proper first class cricket to get into the groove. It is unfortunate that neither the Indian team management nor the Indian board thought it fit to arrange for a few more games. All of these means that the Indians are extremely under-cooked with a bowling attack consisting of Anderson, Broad, Potts & Stokes to be negotiated. It is an uphill task. India usually struggle against Anderson and now without any preparation, it will be doubly difficult to negotiate him.
Rohit Sharma’s absence
The likely absence of Rohit Sharma is a telling blow. He was the most successful batsman last year. His solid innings at the top of the order will be missed. He was missed in South Africa and he will be missed here. Rohit actually setup the twin wins India with his batting. His inspirational captaincy will be another facet that will haunt the Indians. If he plays, it remains to be seen how effective will he be having recovered from Covid. It is an infection that saps the energy out of the body. Indian supporters will hope that Rohit returns with a renewed vigour and help India win the series.
Players to watch out for
Rohit is certainly one if he plays. Pujara. He scored a mountain of runs for Sussex in the English County Championship and his experience, especially in the absence of Rohit, will be required. Having been dropped from the team, he has come back because of the sheer weight of runs. If he can score similarly, not only would he have consolidated his position for the foreseeable future but he might very well ensure that India draws the game. Rishabh Pant. Pant does not have a problem with pace and bounce but he certainly cannot play the swinging delivery. The pitch is expected to be dry because of the unusual English weather which will enable Pant to come into his own.
Ashwin. The dry pitch will mean that Ashwin may finally get to play in the series. Though I do not expect him to pick up bucketful of wickets, he must be able to provide breakthroughs. Gill. The young prodigy is a treat to watch. He still hasn’t scored a hundred despite impressive starts. He will want to get one in this test.
Shami & Siraj. Shami especially is quite unlucky. He is not rewarded for his bowling efforts. A dry pitch will enable reverse swing and that is where Shami comes into his own. He can wreck havoc on the English lineup on his day. Siraj will want to forget his bowling in the IPL and remember the Lord’s game.
England are certainly the favourites
The series win against New Zealand and the manner of those wins means that England is the strong favourites to win the game and square the series. India usually goes on the defensive when the opponents attack. Under Stokes and McCullum, England will continue to play in that fashion and I think both Ashwin and Jadeja will be under tremendous pressure. Both of them pretty much cannot do anything if the pitch does not help. Their bowling will be vulnerable to the onslaught of Bairstow and Stokes.
Anderson is expected to be back. With Jack Leach taking 10 wickets against New Zealand and the pitch expected to be dry, he is a necessity. That means the impressive debutant, Jamie Overton will have to make way for Anderson unless England would want to drop either Potts or Broad. The latter is unlikely but the former is susceptible.
Players to watch out for
Undoubtedly, the most successful pair against New Zealand, Root and Bairstow. Root has a special liking for Indian bowling and he is also in a rich vein of form. He will certainly want to continue with that. Bairstow, it is his aggression that will unsettle India. If he manages to spread the field right at the beginning of his innings, Indians will be ragged in the field. They will not have an answer for his assault. Stokes. He did not get a hundred in the previous series. He will surely want to make amends for that in the decisive test. If both Stokes and Bairstow bat for any length of time, they can rest assure that the game is in the bag.
Overton. Indians are notorious for letting the opposition’s debutant all-rounder to score runs as well as pick up wickets. Sam Curran in 2018, Jamieson in 2020. It looks like Overton maybe a better batsman than either Curran or Jamieson. It will be a surprise if Overton is not the man of the match if he plays.
Conclusion to the Final Test Preview
The one thing that stands above all is confidence. England has that in abundance whereas India lacks. If the first day goes well for India, they can set the pace. Otherwise, it will be England all the way.
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