Trust the Englishmen to crib, cry and complain. They have done that repeatedly, whenever they have come to India for a series in Test cricket. For those not statistically inclined and who can recall the past, the visitors have always created enormous hype leading to hope. In the end, what has usually happened is that England have lost, and then looked for excuses.
This time, in early 2024, Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum came to India, ready to challenge the home side. What happened in the first Test in Hyderabad, where England stole the show, was scary for the hosts. The knives had come out for skipper Rohit Sharma and coach Rahul Dravid. There were sneers as well from the Englishmen, since most of their former cricketers are either columnists or involved in commentary.
Even on Sunday, when Yashasvi Jaiswal, the rising rock star of Indian cricket, was hammering the hell out of James Anderson, Michael Vaughan, former captain, was talking about how the batter may find it tough against the moving ball in England! Blah. Does cricket belong to England, or do they still think the King rules the world?
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The way India bounced back in Vizag and Rajkot was brilliant. It is easy to highlight centurions and highest wicket-takers, with Ravindra Jadeja the hero in Rajkot, bowling his heart out after a first-innings century.
Hang on, what worked for Team India was that they did not get affected by negativity. England did. Bazball is just a label. Merely scoring runs at a fast pace does not win matches. It may click, in phases, but not always in red-ball cricket.
Three years ago, when England toured India, it was the same sob story. After winning the first Test in Chennai in that 2021 series, played in a Bio Bubble because of the Covid-19 pandemic, what followed was misery. The second Test was also played in Chennai, and they lost.
The focus shifted to the rechristened Narendra Modi stadium at the Motera complex in Ahmedabad. Two Tests were played at this 360-degree venue where Axar Patel made life miserable for them. In true English style, they blamed the pitch, and lent a spin with each copy written or each comment made. It was as if the pitch was a minefield.
Did not Indian batters in the past go to England and face hostile fast bowling in overcast conditions, with green tinges on the track that the hosts used to their advantage? They did. Legends like Sunny Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsarkar and Sachin Tendulkar never cried about the conditions in England.
Conditions can never be homogenised, and this time, the curators in India have not been guilty of preparing lousy tracks at all. Maybe England got carried away by Ollie Pope’s knock of 196 in Hyderabad. Pope has not been blessed after that in the next two Tests, while India were actually struggling to fill the XI. It was reminiscent of The Gabba on the 2020-2021 series Down Under, when Ajinkya Rahane led India in Virat Kohli’s absence for the final three Tests.
Minus Kohli and with so many injuries, selecting the Indian team had become like a game of revolving doors. In and out, players kept coming and going. That India showed character and application mattered, with batters, bowlers and fielders having done well. It is easy to slam Shreyas Iyer, dropped after the second Test, but he fielded so well in Vizag.
Stokes showed no charisma, nor did he lead from the front and put pressure on India, forced to play with several newcomers. It was two great opportunities lost. Maybe, the Aussies would have played mind games and psyched India out. But England failed, miserably.
Look at their bowling attack. James Anderson did well in Vizag. The way he was carted all over by Jaiswal on Sunday was a delight. It was not just a batter in the form of his life, it was also about how Anderson – his rich experience having troubled Sachin Tendulkar in the past – forgot his skills. If someone like Mohammed Siraj could swing it and get reverse in the first innings, had Anderson given up?
As for the spinners, the Englishmen have made Joe Root a specialist. The way their spinners have bowled, county cricketers may be laughing in England this summer when they watch these videos at the pub. They made a big deal about visa issues for Rehan Ahmed, a prosaic bowler. Add to it the stuff which Tom Hartley churned out, which was so meek. And if Mark Wood thought he would use the bounce and tease the Indians, he got the right treatment.
Frankly speaking, when England came to India, they began on a wrong note. Mentally, they were thinking about food problems, and brought a chef. They then based themselves in the deserts of the United Arab Emirates to train. Anyone who knows an iota of cricket will vouch that wickets there may look green, but the base is sand. You can make a corniche in a desert, but you cannot create pitches which will play like the ones in India. And, yes, the Vizag and Rajkot wickets were excellent.
There was another chance for England to choke India, when R Ashwin had to fly back home as his mother was unwell. But Stokes was not able to play any mind games and with four bowlers, led by Siraj, Indians rocked the visitors in the first innings.
And on Sunday afternoon, chasing a Himalayan total to win, nobody expected England to win. If Bazball was the currency, it went bust. Wickets fell like ninepins in a bowling alley, with Jadeja, the hometown hero, shining.
Just to jog the readers’ memory, England, then defending champions, messed it up during the ICC World Cup last year. Mentally, they are fragile, and can break in minutes. To lose wickets like this was a sad sight.
And how does one not thank Ashwin for coming back? His mother is unwell, and he still chose to return. This defines an Indian team that is sure to go for the jugular in the remaining two Tests.
Also Read: Record win for India as Jaiswal and Jadeja Trump Bazball