A Historic Achievement

In the week gone by, we have seen an absolutely fantastic fight back from the Indian team leading to a historic victory at Edgbaston, after a very long wait of 8 tests and 58 years. It was a near perfect game and this should form as a template going forward. Barring a couple players, all the others have numbers to show for their contributions. This is the kind of match that gets the team going and generates great amount of confidence. So let's get into it.

Even the toss and the team selection was eventful and highly debated across platforms by everyone. India's team selection was debated throughout the first 2 days, while England's decision at the toss was under scrutiny in retrospect on the final day. Everyone believed that Bumrah should have played this match considering there was a break of 7 days between the 1st and 2nd match. A bowler of Bumrah's quality should always be in contention but I feel India had made their mind up about playing him at Lords. If he had played this match, he would have definitely missed the Lord's Test as now we have a turnaround time of just 3 days. And after having to chase such a mammoth target on Day 5, most of the British Cricket Pundits felt that Stokes' decision to bowl first irrespective of conditions might not be the correct way always.

Coming to the match, India needed to put up a good fight to show that the team isn't dependent on a single player. Because we saw in Australia that despite Bumrah having an exceptional series, it wasn't enough to win matches. So relying on a single player is never a good sign for any team. I think the way Bumrah's omission was criticised and talked about, it sparked some motivation, some goal in the minds of the bowlers playing the match. To be fair, no one was speaking about the ones selected, but all the focus was on the one who wasn't selected. Siraj and AkashDeep stepped up when it was required. Both had excellent games with AkashDeep taking 10 in the match. Siraj in particular thrives when he is leading the bowling attack as compared to when he plays with Bumrah or Shami. His average drops from 33 to 23 when he is the leader of the pack. It was heartening to see the both bowl with speed, zip and accuracy. AkashDeep bowled a peach to Root and got Brook with the incoming delivery on both occassions. The new ball bowling of the pair was a major difference between the two teams. Prasidh was poor at Headingley and followed it up with a similar performance in the 1st inning where he was smashed around the park courtesy the short ball strategy. But he was really impressive in the 2nd inning. His spell on the 5th day morning was very important as he kept the pressure from one side. Although he has only a solitary wicket to show, but his tight bowling assisted AkashDeep to pick wickets. And Test Cricket is all about partnerships. Since we know that Bumrah will be returning for the Lord's Test, it is likely that he will replace Prasidh. But irrespective of whether he plays the 3rd test or not, Prasidh should always remember this spell and keep assuring himself that he is capable of bowling like this. That spell is precisely why I have believed that he can be a good red ball bowler.

Jadeja and Sundar were good in their roles and played their parts to perfection. Both of them contributed with the bat and were decent with the ball. This match they performed more as batters, with twin fifties for Jaddu while Sundar forged a 144 run partnership with Gill in the 1st inning. While they had notable contributions with the bat, their 3 over spell and the events around it right before lunch were crucial. Sundar getting the nod over Reddy, Jadeja finishing his over in just 100 seconds and Sundar getting the beautiful drift and dismissing Stokes with the dipping delivery was just the boost India needed after a flowering partnership between Stokes and Jamie Smith. Reddy was the only player who had a very poor outing. To be fair, he had very little opportunities, and was a bit unlucky as well.

I mentioned Jamie Smith, so let's have a look at his performance as well. In both the innings, his stroke making was sublime, powerful and authoritative. He started the match with gorgeous straight drive off Siraj, and kept finding the middle of the bat on a regular basis. It took nearly 130 deliveries to get his strike rate below 100 in the first inning. This shows how aggressive and imposing he was in that knock of 180. He was the lone warrior on the last day with a fighting 88. I had watched him bat before in Tests and also as an opener in T20s. I mentioned it in my previous blogs as well that he is no mug with the bat. But now as we can see he is a proper batsman and can easily walk into the Top 5 of any side. He doesn't keep wickets for his county team, but his batting style matches the requirements of this McCullum Stokes era, and it also helps him pip the best wicket keeper in the country i.e Ben Foakes. He already broke multiple records during this test, and I feel he is not going to stop anytime soon. He was accompanied by Harry Brook in that gigantic 303 run stand. Brook who is generally the aggressor was overshadowed by Smith, but he comparatively silently went about his business. He is making it a habit to get those big scores on a regular basis. Although most of his scores have come on Flat pitches in England and Pakistan with some centuries in New Zealand. He is very highly rated and only time will tell how he performs in extremely tough conditions. Apart from these 2, England really don't have much to show for so we can move back to talking about the Indian batting.

Rahul and Jaiswal are forming a really strong partnership at the top and both are performing very well and laying a firm foundation for the others to follow. India will hope that the duo continues their good run. Rahul looks so perfect when he is playing well and the average of 33 doesn't do any justice to his skills. He will hope to improve that in the coming years, and if he does so, we are in for a treat. Jaiswal has been excellent ever since his debut and I hope his series isn't derailed. Karun Nair needs to capitalise on his chances and get some big scores under his belt to boost his confidence. Rishabh Pant is going through a rich vein of form and his stay at the crease, irrespective of the time he spends there, is thrill-a-second. You never know what you are getting from him on the given day and somehow he manages to keep you hooked for the whole time. He plays some outrageous shots and they seem to be working for him. His acceleration on 4th day provided India with the impetus required. For such an unorthodox player to have so much success in Tests is amazing.

Now coming to the Player of the match, the skipper, Gill. Throughout the two matches, he has looked impeccable, solid and flawless. Many people said that while he was batting, it felt that century was inevitable and I cannot agree more. He is looking very composed, very calm, very assured and very confident. Scoring 430 runs in a single Test and making/breaking numerous records along the way is a stupendous effort. It was disappointing to see him throw his wicket away after getting those starts till now, but he has started putting a price on his wicket after becoming the Captain. And we have seen how well he can play if his mindset is right. He had said prior to the series that he wants to become the highest run scorer of the series and he is taking all the steps in the right direction. I just hope that I am not jinxing anything because watching Gill bat is a very pleasing activity. He has also looked an improved captain from the 1st game and I believe he will only get better from here. He also has some good cricketing brains around to help him in Bumrah, Rahul and Pant.

With a gap of mere 3 days, and the series levelled at 1-1, The Lord's test serves an exciting week for cricket lovers. It is expected to be hot, which will make the pitch dry as the match goes on. This is the only reason I feel that Sundar and Jadeja, both will retain their spots in the playing 11. I would like to see a better balance and an intriguing battle between bat and ball. It's a difficult prospect considering England's approach but nonetheless, we have an exciting contest lined up. The Gill-Gambhir era has begun well and they will try and keep the momentum to take a 2-1 lead in the series.