This post deals with the second half of an extraordinary test match between India and England, the fourth of the series currently taking place between the two teams. I covered the first two days here, so the body of this post picks up the action on day three (yesterday).
DAY THREE – ENGLAND STUMBLE
Play resumed with India 219-7, 134 adrift. England’s first task was to take the last three Indian wickets as quickly as possible. Unfortunately they were baulked in contrasting styles by wicket keeper Dhruv Jurel who played a superb innings and left arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav who resisted stoutly, comfortably completing a ‘Den-tury’ – 100 balls survived in an innings (look up the career of Joe Denly for the origin of this term). When Yadav was finally dislodged for a 131 ball 28 debutant Akash Deep continued the resistance, surviving a further 29 balls. Mohammed Siraj really is a genuine number 11, and it was in the Jurel who was last out, bowled by Tom Hartley for a splendid and spirited 90 off 149 balls. India has thus reached 307, a deficit of a mere 46. Shoaib Bashir recorded figures of 5-119 from 44 overs, becoming the fourth England bowler to take their maiden first class five-for in a test match. Christopher Heseltine (Hampshire, right arm fast) did so in 1896 in South Africa, in a series whose claim to test match status is decidedly dubious – visiting South African teams were not given test matches in England until 1907, while the other two members of this club are both part of the current England set up, and both principally batters – Joe Root who took 5-8 at Ahmedabad last time England were in India and Will Jacks who took a six-for in Pakistan.
Things still look good for England with an advantage of 46 and India having to bat last, but their second innings soon started going pear shaped. Crawley and Bairstow threatened a revival, and at 110-3 England looked comfortable. However Crawley fell for a fine 60, and then Stokes suffered his second failure of the match, and for the second time in the match England went into an interval, tea in this case, having just lost their skipper, and five down for not a huge amount. Soon after the interval a loose stroke spelt the end of Bairstow and it was 120-6. Hartley failed again with the bat, and Robinson was unable to repeat his first innings efforts. Foakes resisted gamely and did his best to shepherd the tail, but eventually he attempted to play one from Ashwin through midwicket and got a leading edge straight back to the bowler. Anderson lasted three balls, the last of which he nicked to the keeper, and England were all out for 145, leaving India 192 to get.
Stokes now opted to give the new ball to Root and Hartley. There was merit in the idea of giving a spinner the new ball, especially given that Robinson had been decidedly underwhelming with the ball, but James Anderson should have bowled at one end for the mini-session India faced at the end of this third day – this would have given England a measure of control, whereas in the event India were 40-0 off eight overs by the close, needing 152 more for victory.
THE DENOUEMENT
India advanced their score to 84 before a splendid catch by Anderson off Root accounted for Yashavsi Jaiswal, leaving the new India opener needing to tally 120 or more in the fifth match of the series to break a record that has stood to Sunil Gavaskar’s credit since 1970 for the most runs in a series by an Indian opener.
15 runs later Foakes achieved a double dismissal of Rohit Sharma – it was initially recorded as stumped, but replays showed that there had been an edge, and it now appears as caught Foakes bowled Hartley 55. One run later Rajat Patidar was on his way back for a five ball duck, courtesy of a good catch by Pope off Bashir, and I suspect that unless he intends to watch the match Patidar will not be in Dharamsala for the final match of the series. Ravindra Jadeja never looked comfortable, and with 120 on the board, and himself on 4 off 32 balls he hit a full toss from Bashir straight to Bairstow to end a tortured stay at the crease. The very next ball Sarfaraz Khan was snapped up Pope to make it 120-5, and Bashir had three wickets and was on a hat trick. At that point Jurel joined Gill, and these two players steered India home. Gill completed a 50, while Jurel was unbeaten on 39, and appropriately enough the winning runs came from his bat – he was deservedly named as Player of the Match, having kept very well in tricky conditions and scored 129 in the match for once out. India have an unassailable 3-1 lead in the series, but England have had moments in all four matches when things looked like going their way, and given the loss of Leach, the inexperience of the remaining spinners and the fact that no visiting side have laid a glove on India in the last decade this is very far from a humiliation. Bashir and Hartley, especially the former, look very promising for the future. Robinson, who finished the match off the field nursing a back problem, must be in jeopardy – when the force is with him he is a very good bowler indeed, but in this match he was consistently 10kph below his best pace, and given his previous injuries and fitness issues I think England have to say that enough is enough. Matthew Potts of Durham, Josh Tongue of Worcestershire and Gus Atkinson of Surrey are all fine bowlers, Tom Lawes of Surrey may be on the radar, and there are probably other younger seamers who could do a job for England as well. James Anderson’s bowling and fielding leads one to wonder whether he has a portrait hidden away somewhere that is ageing in his place!
This match was a thoroughly absorbing contest which commanded attention right to the end. Though it does scant justice to the events of the last four days a full scorecard can be viewed here.
PHOTOGRAPHS
I end with my usual sign off…
aspiblog 