England Vs India: Into The Fourth Test Indian Batting Yet To Click!
In the first Test India lost
a huge opportunity of winning after Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami
devastated England for a mere 183 in the first innings as despite the good
start provided by the Indian openers Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul the middle order
failed to maintain the momentum depriving the team of taking a lead of at least
150 runs, and it was the spinner Ravindra Jadeja who hit a half-century and 28
by never-known-to-be-a-batsman Bumrah to ensure a lead of just 95 runs with the
team all-out for 278. Ollie Robinson and veteran James Anderson uprooted the
Indian batting. Thanks to the ever-consistent England skipper Joe Root (109
runs) his team made 303 runs in the second innings setting India a target of
209 runs which could still have been overhauled had the rains not washed away
the fifth day’s play. But the point is if the Indian middle order delivered the
visitors could have sealed the match before the rains came down. India were
sitting pretty at 51/1 at the end of the fourth day with the match heading for
an exciting finish, and in the England second innings Bumrah and Shami again
captured most of the wickets.
After that incredible win
Team India got all out for one of their lowest first innings totals of 78 after
being put into bat by an aggressive England in the third Test at Headingley. It
was all over for India in the very first day of the match and had to face the
humiliation of an innings defeat. England took full advantage of India’s 78 by
hauling up a huge total of 432 thanks to the third century by Joe
Root (121), 70 by David Malan and the new opening pair Burns-Hameed giving an
opening partnership of 135 runs. In India’s second innings Rohit made 59,
Pujara 91 and Kohli making his first half-century at 55, but nobody could stick
on to avoid an innings defeat. England levelled the Series at 1-1 now.
In the fourth Test at the
Oval India, being put into bat, displayed another dismal batting failure
folding up for 191 with Kohli’s second half-century and 57 by fast bowler
Shardul Thakur who replaced an unfit Shami, and only the latter performance
could only lend some respectability to the Indian total. England started badly
losing early wickets and Root not performing well for the first time, but Ollie
Pope making 81, Bairshow 37 and Moeen Ali making 35 stabilized the innings
somewhat managing to ensure a lead, and the hosts were finally all out for 290 building up a significant lead of 99 runs till the
last reports came in. This match too is more or less evenly poised at the moment, slightly favoring England. But
everything depends how India bat in the second innings, first to clear the deficit of 99 without losing wickets. Unfortunately, class opener KL Rahul who managed to make it
only after team management ran out of options nearly gave up his class after
the second Test.
England has been making
smart moves all the time with new replacements both in batting and bowling, and
every time a new fast bowler was introduced the Indian batting faltered invariably. India must
get its middle order in action immediately if they still entertain any hope of
winning the Series, being the Australia-beaters in Australia just a little time
before. However, that time Rahane led the team wonderfully well as Kohli went
home for the birth of his first child. in this fourth Test India is sorely
missing the services of Mohammed Shami, although his replacement Umesh Yadav
got into the wickets. Kohli’s tactic of keeping Ravichandran Ashwin, India’s best
spinner at the moment, consistently out of all the matches, particularly at the
somewhat spinning track at Headingley, Leeds.
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