No Support for Virat, while England started the series to a Tee.

England tour of India started on the month of July and it started with the T-20 series. In that series, India performed splendiferously and clinched that T-20 series. After that, in ODI series, 1st match had gone well for India and India won it. Then the cumbersome phase started for India. They lost the last two ODI matches and lost the series as 1-2.

From the 1st August Test Series started, and in the first Test India lost by 31 runs (England – 287 & 180; India- 274 & 162). In a low scoring game, India failed to chase down the 194-runs target! In pen and paper, India may has a great batting line-up, but from the last tour (read South Africa tour) it seems that Batting is the Achilles heel for India!

In English soil, India didn’t get the taste of win in Test series too often. Their last Test Series win in England in 2007 under the captaincy of Rahul Dravid. In 2011 and in 2014 England tour, India was just blown out by England (India played both occation under the captaincy of MS Dhoni). In the last England tour (in 2014), current Indian skipper Virat Kohli didn’t find runs and ended the tour with just 134 runs in 5 Test matches. But now he is not the new-comer kid like that time, and he proved that by hitting 200 runs in just 2 innings in the first match(149 & 51); only 7th captain to achieve this feat. Virat Kohli also joins Mohammad Azharuddin (121 in 1990) in becoming the second Indian score a 100-plus knock in his very first innings as captain in England. The knock of 149 is also the second highest by an Indian batsman in an innings when none of the teammates went past 30. Only VVS Laxman (167 against Australia at SCG in 1999/00) had scored more.

Now let’s start the analysis of the 1st Test, England vs India, which is played in Birmingham.

From the first day of the Test or even before that, media hyped about the Kohli vs Anderson contest, acid test for Virat Kohli as a batsman as well as a captain etc. End of the day, both Virat and Anderson won their own battles. Anderson failed to get the Virat’s wicket in both innings, but India lost to England. To talk turkey, England hit the nail on the head in every time in this Test match. Whenever they were in an onerous situation, someone took the onus to save the boat, like Root-Bairstow in first innings batting; Sam Curran in the first innings bowling, both innings batting; Ben Stokes in both ivirat_kohlinnings bowling; Anderson-Broad-Rashid also played the second fiddle in the game whenever required. But in case of India, it’s alpha and omega  – every time there was only Virat Kohli, who was fighting from the front as a lone wolf. From the first day to the end, Virat made the difference in fielding as well as in batting (the brilliant run-out of Root in the 1st inning and 200 runs with the bat)! In Birmingham, Virat showed the world that why he is the World’s Best Batsman by his fluent batting in this tough condition. Most of the cricket-experts and ex-cricketers accepted that it’s a treat to watch Virat Kohli’s batting here. But sans Virat Kohli, India’s all batsmen were looking like tailenders! On the above-board, tailenders like Ishant and Umesh showed more patience than the top and middle-order batsmen! Everyone should learn from Virat Kohli how to adjust in that tough condition and how to show patience.

India’s one more weakest area is the Slip-catching. In this test, Rahane and Shikhar Dhawan dropped catches and for which India had to pay through the nose.

Although there are some positives in the bowling department. In absence of Bhubaneswar Kumar, India’s bowlers did a Yeomen’s service. Ashwin is looking at his best, Shami was looking furious in the first innings like Ishant in the second. Umesh also bowled well in the second innings. But Hardik Pandya didn’t look like a test bowler especially in this English condition, neither was he looking like a batsman. Indian team management did a faux pas here. I feel Stuart Binny maybe a better batsman than Hardik in Tests, and he can swing the ball as well in this condition. India can also go with Jadeja in the next test match in Lords. Jadeja has a half-century in Lords in the last tour and in this summer England’s pitch has something to offer for the spinners as well. Ashwin got some help in Birmingham from the first day itself.

India’s another gaffe is the lack of match practice before the Test match. It seems like India didn’t learn anything from the South-Africa tour. At the end of that tour coach, Ravi Sashtri admitted that they were understood the importance of practice matches before starting a Test Series in the away tour. Is that so? After finishing the ODI series here, India has 14-days time to prepare themselves for the Test matches and in this gap what they did? At first they cancelled the first practise match and then they played only a 3-days unofficial practice game!  Cricket-Legend Gavaskar said that. “It seems that India is relying only on the net-practice, but you can’t ignore the advantage of a Practice match and replace it by only net practice. India should play at least two practice matches before the starting of the series in the countries like South Africa, England, and Australia. Virat has to understand the fact that, others need the practice match for preperation!”

For the England point of view, they got a future super-star in a 20-years’ kid Sam Curran. He is the Man the match of this first Test as he got 4 wickets all total and a most crucial 63 runs in the second inning. In Lords, Ben Stokes will not be available for England as he has to go for the court’s hearing. Cris Woakes will replace him. Beside that, captain Root and bowling superstar James Anderson, both are in top form and that’s a big satisfaction for England. Now, India has to fight fire with fire and more contentiously if they want to coup the momentum back from the opponent in this series. Batsmen like Vijay, Rahane have to take the onus as they are not the greenhorn or amateur. India should make a place for veteran Pujara as he can be a cardinal soldier for Virat. By hook or by crook, India needs to handle all of their problems to throw up the sponge to the England or else this tour will be a spell disaster for India, like 2011 or 2014.

In fine, Test Cricket is not in its demise. Test Cricket is always the best form of Cricket game, and the first Test of Birmingham proved it.

Hoping India will play like a Numero-uno team in Lords and batsman will put some decent scores in the board to bear the palm. Rest of the work will do our bowlers, there is no doubt about it. Now I am keeping my fingers crossed as a Indian fan.

Photo Courtesy: Google

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