Talking points after the first test of India vs England 2021
After the heroics of the Indian team Down Under and a great England win-streak away from home, the England tour of India promises to be a feast! It was almost unfair but there was an anticipation for yet another miracle for Team India. Alas, it was not to be! With the visitors bagging the first game, here are some points to talk about:
1.All eyes on Lord’s? — Everybody will be looking at the chart with their mind running all permutations and combinations. With the World Test Championship (WTC) Final’s place on the lines, the Test series between India and England gained a great deal of context. England goes one up in the series. They also claim the top spot in the WTC tally dethroning India to the 4th spot! It is still early days to predict as the margins are close, but there’s a lot of chatter about How many to win? What happens if it’s a draw? Who qualifies if we lose?
2.Home advantage (Really?) — Over the course of the Test match, we could see the Indian batsmen struggle in our ‘home’ conditions. But if we look deeper, the last time India played a tough opposition in their own backyard was way back in 2016/17 against Australia. Has India gotten comfortable batting away than at home? is a looming question in expert’s minds. Indian fans would want our batting to give a solid response to that as we progress in the series.
3.Root cause — Some might attribute India’s loss to the crucial toss. Of course, England got the better chunk of the conditions but it was still left for the taking by the English batsmen. After Burns gift wrapped his wicket and Dan Lawrence was caught plumb in front of the stumps, the visitors steadied their ship with aplomb. While Sibley played the anchor, it was Root who chased time and tide alike. He recorded his third triple-figure (in fact, 150+) in three consecutive tests in the subcontinent and that’s no mean feat! England was able to capitalize on the conditions well and nothing can take that away from them.
Root as a captain earned more respect for his smart rotation of bowlers. Despite a lot of theories and speculation about the delayed (or no) declaration, it turned out to be a prudent move as they eliminated an ‘Indian win’ from the equation. Everything makes sense with hindsight 20/20, but this was a calculated ploy that worked brilliantly against the hosts. What plans will India hatch against Root as a batsman and Captain?
4.The other Captain — With Root on a dream run with the runs, all eyes are on the host team’s counterpart. Kohli has last scored a century 32 innings ago which is a huge dip by Kohli’s standard. Lauded for his excellent conversion rate, Kohli has enticed a century in the second innings of this Test but fell short to a ball that kept low from Stokes. We saw a 50+ score from Kohli in the lone Pink Ball Test in Adelaide as well. But as they say — “you can’t keep a good player down for long” — Indian fans would be yearning to see the captain break the “slump” and score big runs.
5.Dil maange more from Youngistaan — The youngsters of the squad have shown immense fearlessness in adverse situations. Rishabh Pant’s counter-attacking 91 was the battle to watch against Leach on Day 3. Alas, he could not convert that to longer innings which might have brought India closer to England’s mammoth total. We saw the same in Sydney against Australia. Shubman Gill is treading the same path. He’s a delight to watch when he’s on a song but needs to stay a bit longer at the crease. Washington Sundar, though mainly known for his bowling prowess in the white-ball game, has been showing a different side in the Tests. Even for a 5th bowler, his bowling was a tad under par, giving away runs and releasing pressure at the other end. Mind you, they are just at the start of their careers and have accomplished what others merely dream of. But there’s a voice inside saying, a little more…
6.I choose who?— Some selections from Indian XI were under scrutiny. Nadeem over a slightly more experienced left-hand Chinaman, Kuldeep, was a choice that surprised many. Some may even go a step further to argue that Siraj, who spearheaded the pace attack in Australia, could have had a better impact than the experienced Ishant who was making a comeback after an injury. Personally, I felt Nadeem did not live up to the expectations and it is also heartbreaking to see Kuldeep warming the benches for too long. Fans would hope that there isn’t a case of dented-confidence with Kuldeep as he is still an exciting leggie, especially in turning tracks. That said, none of the players (apart from Nadeem) are likely to miss the second test as they didn’t put a foot wrong. Is there a dark horse lurking in the Indian team somewhere, perhaps Axar Patel?
Given the magnitude of the cricketing nations and their history (both recent and old), this series is all to play for. India has won the home series when they lost the first test previously. Home fans would want history to repeat itself. I am sure there will be a lot more to talk about as the days go by. So, let’s keep the conversation going!
This is the first time I’m trying this on Medium. I hope to continue this. Any feedback would mean a lot! Thanks!
