At 146/6, the series hung in the balance. It was the fourth Test between India and England in Ahmedabad and although the hosts were leading 2-1, the tourists definitely sensed an opportunity. James Anderson and Ben Stokes were getting the reverse swing going on a dry Motera pitch. England had posted a modest 205 in their first innings, but India’s batting collapse had the game back on to an even keel.
It was March 2021, and Rishabh Pant was fresh from his Gabba heroics a couple of months ago. Like the Aussies, England, too, were floored by the wicketkeeper-batter. For the next couple of hours, fans witnessed some scintillating stroke-play, including an outrageous reverse lap against Anderson. The great bowler shook his head in disbelief. Mouths were agape in the press box. Pant, at the other end, broke into a smile.
Cut to January 2024, and England have come here for a five-Test series, commencing at Hyderabad on January 25. Pant is out of the team, recovering from a car accident and KS Bharat is going to be the Indian team management’s preferred wicketkeeping choice ahead of KL Rahul on turning pitches. Can Bharat emulate Pant’s feat with the bat? Impossible. Does the Indian middle-order have a replacement for the southpaw? Pant is irreplaceable.
The very thought of not facing him could be comforting for the England bowlers. From India’s perspective, without the gun player, the hosts will continue to do some permutations and combinations in their batting line-up. The middle-order doesn’t look as meaty as it was three years ago, but more on that later.
Even without donning the big gloves, Rahul would be one of the first names on the team sheet. Will he open? If he does, then Yashasvi Jaiswal will have to sit out. If Rahul plays in the middle-order, then Shreyas Iyer might have to make way. Rahul has scored Test centuries as an opener. Only last month, he scored a brilliant 101 against South Africa at Centurion, batting at No. 6.
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“We just don’t watch Chirag bhaiya and Satwik bhaiya… We feel we are a part of their team” – fans have supported our shuttlers throughout the tournament and have waited till late in the chilly nights of Delhi.
They want their favorite duo to win another final today as the… pic.twitter.com/yssVTsSHME
— RevSportz (@RevSportz) January 21, 2024
Last time, when England toured India for a Test series, the home team’s middle-order comprising Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane and Pant oozed class and experience. This time, on either side of Kohli, at No. 3 and 5, there appears to be some vulnerability.
Shubman Gill is new to the No. 3 spot and his talent and effervescence notwithstanding, the youngster has a habit of getting out after getting in. Gill is a completely different player to Pujara and no one is asking him to be an accumulator like the Saurashtra batsman. But, on paper, this England team is more well-rounded and unquestionably more confident, thanks to their recent Test exploits. A little more solidity from Gill will help India.
“Leaving the ball would bore me,” Iyer recently told reporters. Point taken. But since when has Test cricket become a fun game? Over the last five Tests, Iyer has scored 83 runs at an average of 11.85. In South Africa, he was a walking wicket and although he is expected to do better in home conditions, having Rahul in the middle-order will make the batting line-up better-balanced. Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel form a pretty decent middle-and-lower-middle-order on home patch. However, uncertainties remain for a batting line-up in transition.
And therein lie England’s chances. Last time, their approach, even after winning the first Test, was anodyne. But Bazball has changed England cricket and they now play with a joyous abandon. Bazball is not only about bold batsmanship. Bowling and fielding, too, assume equal importance. It is about a new mindset that works on putting the opponent under pressure even in defence.
England’s spectacular comeback from 2-0 down in last year’s Ashes attested the team’s mental fortitude. Pre-Bazball, England probably would have thrown in the towel. Stokes & Co will play on the front foot in India and this series could be a tight affair.
Also Read: How Satwik-Chirag Rocked Their Way to the No. 1 Peak in New Delhi