Boria Majumdar in London
Shubman Gill speaks of application in the post-Edgbaston scenario. He says the batters must keep applying themselves. Having spent hours at the crease during the second Test, Gill the batter has demonstrated what application is all about. He was a genius who England had no answer to.
But, is captain Gill asking for something from some of his players that they are consistently capable of producing? Can Yashaswi Jaiswal, for instance, apply himself against a quality opposition like Jofra Archer and Gus Atkinson and a swinging red ball at Lord’s? An excellent player, does he have the nous to combat the moving ball in typically English Test conditions?
There is little debate that England, too, looked vulnerable at Edgbaston. Their top-order is fragile and it’s more so without Joe Root scoring big. Their slip cordon isn’t the best either. In sum, England are beatable; eminently beatable, if India and captain Gill make the right calls.
First things first. Lord’s will be hot. Temperatures are expected to go up to 32 degrees on four of the five days. In dry conditions, can Nitish Reddy be the best fifth or sixth bowling option that India have? Can he back the pace trio and Ravindra Jadeja, not to forget Washington Sundar? With Jadeja, one thing is for sure. There will be no release of pressure and no freebies on offer. And he is as good a fielder as anyone else on the park.
Second, isn’t Karun Nair, who is not looking the best, deserving of a long rope? Even if he doesn’t get too many, he could play out 70-80 deliveries blunting out the new ball.
Gautam Gambhir always talks about the need to stay focussed and not to panic. He is right. Leeds was as close as it could get and there was absolutely no reason to panic ahead of Birmingham. India kept focus and were rewarded.
Lord’s, in a way, is the decider. If India lose a close one and go down 1-2, it will be tough to stage another comeback in hostile batting conditions at Old Trafford in Manchester. And with Archer still rusty, England will be a weaker opposition at Lord’s.
In real seaming conditions in 2014, India carved out a famous victory at the same venue. Ajinkya Rahane and Murali Vijay had stood up, not to forget Ishant Sharma’s match-winning spell. In 2021, it was even better under Virat Kohli. There is no reason why they cannot do that one more time, with captain Gill sure to back them up with his extraordinary batting form in the series.
India need to just sit back and judge the conditions better. We need application both on and off the field. With a full house expected at Lord’s on all days, it will be yet another grand occasion for Test cricket; an occasion that will separate the men from the boys and bring out the best in the best.
India really need to put their best on the park to make cricket’s home their own. That’s when it will be proved that Edgbaston was no flash in the pan. In Australia, it was one good Test and then nothing. That’s what needs to change at Lord’s. And from the looks of it, it will.
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