Gargi Raut in London
The build-up to the Test match was quite the tense one, with the Indian camp hit by multiple injuries. With the series still 2-1 in England’s favour, India had a chance to retain the series. But the team was suddenly dealt with blows: Rishabh Pant broke his foot in the last game, Arshdeep Singh’s injury wasn’t fully healed, and Jasprit Bumrah was out due to workload management.
Of course, India’s vice-captain Pant has been massively impactful in the series and just having him at the crease is pressure enough for England, he can turn the tide for his team at any point in the game. With 479 runs in the series, including two back-to-back centuries in the same match, he’s been a game-changer. Even with a broken foot, Pant hobbled down the steps of the Old Trafford dressing room and added 17 runs that took his overnight 37 to 54. How can you possibly find a replacement for the X-factor and the vice-captain of the team?
With two premier players missing, how do you come up with a match-winning playing XI? The decision was up in the air until the very morning of the Test. According to sources, the team was announced at breakfast, with Akashdeep being one of the few players told of his inclusion in advance. The delay came after the management had a look at the pitch—green and juicy. And in conditions like that, with rain predicted, overcast skies, and a swinging Dukes ball, who do you go with?
Do you go with Shardul Thakur? Someone who can swing the ball and chip in with an important cameo with the bat? But in the two games that Shardul played, he bowled just 6 and 11 overs respectively. And it was evident that the captain didn’t have much faith in his ability with the ball. If that’s the case, it made more sense to go in with a pure batter to add cushion to the batting lineup in Pant’s absence, which then leads you to Karun Nair. And that is precisely what the management did.
And based on Day 1, that decision looks absolutely justified.
As Stumps was called on Day 1, and it was every bit the bowling day everyone had predicted; gloomy overhead conditions, multiple rain breaks, and a green surface made things difficult for the Indian batters. India had already lost the toss and had no choice but to bat first in some of the toughest conditions of the series.
Wickets kept falling. Jaiswal was trapped by Atkinson early, KL Rahul chopped one onto his stumps, and even Gill, who looked set, got run out in a moment of what you can only term “brainfade”. At 123/5, it looked like India could fold quickly. But Karun, walking into a high-pressure situation, played exactly the kind of innings the team needed, remaining unbeaten on 52 off 98 balls at stumps.
With Washington Sundar at the other end, a young gun, who has proved that he has a calm head on his shoulders, the two stitched a 51-run partnership that got India past the 200 run mark.
Which is exactly why the management was right to back a specialist batter. When the bowling conditions are favourable, the margins become even finer and having one more reliable batter to absorb that pressure makes all the difference. If Karun is able to absorb the pressure and take India past 250, he will justify his selection in the match and show why, in the absence of Pant, India needed someone with the technique and temperament to steady the ship. Indian needed someone who had the technique and patience to anchor the innings. Meanwhile, an allrounder who might only bowl a handful of bowlers and bat down the order, might only offer limited value compared to a specialist batter who can absorb the pressure and build partnerships. Unlike popular opinion, it wasn’t a defensive move, but a sensible one.
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