Bumrah – At 2:12 in the afternoon, Tom Hartley’s off-stump went for a stroll, and Jasprit Bumrah stood with arms extended in front of him as his teammates encircled him one last time on Vizag pitch, bathed in sunshine. On a pitch that rarely offered signs of life, Bumrah (match figures of 9/91) made his presence felt, taking control of the Test from Day 2.
Bumrah put India in a position to win comfortably, and his bowling performance helped ensure victory. With R Ashwin’s help on Monday, India overcame their Baseball blues and secured a victory that tied the series at 1-1 after two rounds. When competition resumes in Rajkot after nine days’ break-off, only an experienced gambler will dare predict how this contest will pan out given the current circumstances.
Celebrations during this victory exemplified its magnitude, achieved without Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, or Mohammed Shami participating. There were loud yells in the dressing room, and Rahul Dravid (not known for exuberant celebrations during his playing days) celebrated each England wicket on the final day by pumping his fist with joy! Rahul Dravid became head coach, and one week can make all the difference!
After India secured victory, Dravid stood in the corner with Rohit Sharma – captain of their team and Ajit Agarkar, chairman of their selectors – engaging in earnest conversation. Their lengthy conversation highlighted England’s Baseball and confusion surrounding Kohli and Jadeja’s availability for future Test matches.
“At least a little better than the game that came before?” Dravid said how his team has responded to the Bazball challenge: they’ve performed exceptionally well compared with previous matches; rather than laboriously trying their most complex, this performance resembles quality cricket rather than excessive labouring.
They’re showing awe-inspiring skills by playing shots requiring great skill and expertise. One cannot simply do these things and then claim they lack the skills to attack cricket; there must be more to it than merely attacking it. They know when it is appropriate to retreat or launch an attack and have undoubtedly accomplished fantastic success by playing in this manner. We recognize their ability to strike this balance and look forward to our challenge.” Added Dravid.
India’s victory does not constitute evidence that they have turned a corner; much like in Hyderabad, their success rested solely on individual players’ stellar performance, from Yashasvi Jaiswal’s 209 and Bumrah’s 9/91 through Shubman Gill’s 104 not outs and Kuldeep Yadav’s 3/71/Kuldeep Yadav going wicketless first innings to Ashwin taking 3/72 after going wicketless first, India relied on individual talents’ brilliance rather than concerted effort necessary for routing Bazball.
Severe armours and holes must be filled before India can open its arms and confidently claim it has answers to Bazballers’ challenges. But for now, India can breathe a sigh of relief that England has not managed to make significant headway, something which looked possible at one point during Vizag before Bumrah unleashed an incredible spell which will go down in cricket history as something extraordinary.
“From the outset, I knew this series would be difficult. Many of their players have extensive experience. Something we tend to overlook when looking at their team is that three members are approaching 100 games. At the same time, James Anderson has played in 184 – they have also employed young spinners, making for difficult opposition.” In light of both teams currently playing cricket and keeping score, their respective head coaches agreed a score of 1-1 is an acceptable status although “ideally we would like 2-0.”
Without question, England are in an acceptable position. They remained composed, contrasting to Hyderabad, where India made panicky changes when their wickets were under siege. After beginning Day 4 on Monday, England remained loyal despite needing 332 runs with nine wickets already taken to chase down an unprecedented target on Indian turf of 399 runs. James Anderson revealed on Sunday that they perceived India as vulnerable and inconsistent in their approach. Although this undertaking proved challenging, England nevertheless created some fear among their opponents.
England remained at the stadium even three hours after their match had concluded to warm up with another game of football before departing for Abu Dhabi for a six-day holiday, showing their confidence in their performance as players.
India needs major players to shape its narrative and remains uncertain in its vision, especially now. Players like Shreyas Iyer are still fighting hard for their spot in the XI. Shubman Gill’s century in the second inning came closest to saving his career; unfortunately, wicket-keeper KS Bharat did not capitalize on all available opportunities.
Although Axar Patel is far from his best form since England’s last tour to this country, he continues to play due to his ability to contribute with bat and ball. India must win out and emerge from their remaining series matches with either an assurance that their immediate future is secure or they will find themselves scrambling for players who can perform at this level – the level of risk involved.
