ICC World Test Championship
Coming into this match without Jasprit Bumrah on another flat deck after a morale shattering defeat at Headingley, this Indian team was riddled with questions. Many criticized the decision to not play Bumrah at Edgbaston given there was a break of 7 days in between both Tests. But it was always expected that India will save Bumrah for a better bowling friendly surface at Lord's given that he is only advised to play three Tests on this tour. However, even after all that unfolded at the toss, the Indian bowling still looked better to me compared to their English counterparts. India's strength lied in their bowling as predicted before the start of the series. And England has played it in their hands by providing the easiest pitches for the batters in the country ever. Except for that horrible last day at Headingley, India has dominated the series so far and they came back roaring in this series to level it 1-1 going into the third Test.
If there was ever an example of leading from the front, this performance from captain
Shubman Gill should sit right at the top.
Gill brought all his determination to the fore putting in one of the greatest performances ever by a visiting captain in England breaking multiple records enroute his way to scores of 269 and 161. Highest score by an Indian captain, highest score by any Indian batter in England and outside Asia and the second highest runs scored in a Test with 430 runs after
Graham Gooch are just few of the records
Gill broke with that humongous performance. With three hundreds in his first four innings as captain, the same has rubbed off on his captaincy as he seemed so assured as a leader in this match. His maturity and character was praised by everyone after his post-game interview.
By now, all of you must have heard about the heart-breaking journey of the Rohtas born right-arm pacer
Akash Deep. Replacing a
Jasprit Bumrah is never straightforward but
Akash Deep was quietly waiting for an opportunity to prove his red-ball credentials in the Indian jersey. He made his debut against England in Ranchi where he removed the top three in just ten balls. After dealing with a few injuries and being in and out of the team,
Akash Deep was handed a hard task by the taskmaster
Gautam Gambhir of taking the new ball on a flat pitch where his team had just scored a mammoth 587. But
Akash Deep was unperturbed by everything. He knew the task at hand and he trusted his skills immensely to rock the English top order twice in the same match. He kept hitting the stumps consistently and used the angles beautifully getting the pitch to respond to his magic. The way he opened up
Joe Root in the second innings to get him out bowled was a sight to behold.
The English batting looked a sorry image of themselves from the one that we saw in the last test. This team has a huge potential of pulling off miracles like the one in Headingley but they manage to fall off the cliff so quickly it's almost an odd phenomenon. With the retirements of their great new ball pair of
Anderson and
Broad, their bowling was always going to be a bit redundant in terms of the output in comparison and it's no surprise they have now opted for such flat pitches to try and even out their weaker aspect. There is definite talent available in the ranks.
Chris Woakes' opening spell of the match was splendid and it's almost a shock that he walked away with just two wickets in the match. They have added
Gus Atkinson to the ranks who had a dream debut run. Both him and
Brydon Carse adapted so well to this format last year, but both are coming off injuries, hence the dwindling returns.
Jofra Archer is another name who will come in discussion ahead of the third Test as changes are bound to happen.
The batting might remain the same but Jacob Bethell's inclusion might become incumbent if another such performance is repeated. India has managed to keep Joe Root quiet so far. Very uncharacteristic for a man of Root's stature given the nature of the pitches and also the way he got out in the first innings. He has just scored 109 runs in the four innings so far. Jamie Smith and Harry Brook's first innings' partnership of 303 was the only team it looked like this Indian bowling was out of ideas. The flamboyant Smith counter-attacked in both innings with such panache it was a sight to behold. He knew which bowlers he had to target, what areas to pick and the same rubbed off Brook as he grew deeper into his innings. But there was nothing more to write about this team's batting as they came second comfortably against the Indian bowlers. Shubman Gill laid the foundation for the way he wants to lead his team in just his second match in-charge. After putting into bat the second time in a row, Gill knew they couldn't afford to give their last few wickets quickly again and should pile on as many runs. India tried to address this with Washington Sundar coming in at No.8 partnered with his captain for a 144 run partnership after Gill batted for 203 runs with Jadeja. Ravindra Jadeja loves batting in England. He scored a gritty 89 and 69* in this Test and now has a century and 5 50+ scores in the country. Jadeja gave perfect company to Gill in both innings who has so far looked ominous on this tour. Gill showed how he could switch gears when required. His assault against the short ball after lunch on Day 4 brought back memories of that historic 91 in the Brisbane Test. His contribution in the field was equally impressive. Shubman looked a forlorn figure in the fourth innings of Headingley Test but not so much here as used the weapons at his disposal with great precision. The new ball bursts from Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep was excellent in both innings as they reduced the top five to 84 and 83 respectively. Mohammad Siraj cleaned up the tail rapidly to give India a cushion of 174 runs in the first innings and claiming his first fifer since Jan 2024.
The whole team was fired up with each wicket they got. And it was fitting to see Akash Deep getting the last wicket with the captain taking the catch. Bumrah has been confirmed to make a return at Lord's which makes this side even stronger. If the batting continues in the same vein, the team will be even more dangerous going further in the series. England will be hoping Joe Root get's his mojo back but their bowling needs a bit of a spark to pose a challenge. Chris Woakes loves playing at Lord's. He averages 42.5 with the bat and 12.9 with the ball. Can he push England's response at his favorite ground? Can England provide him the pitch he needs? We'll know more on Thursday. For now, India is back in the series with momentum on their side.
References : ESPNCricinfo, Statsguru by ESPNCricinfo
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