The Series is still Alive

After the heartbreak at Lords, it looked like another series loss was on the cards when Rahul and Gill walked off for lunch on the 4th afternoon. What followed was exemplary display of solitude, discipline and patience. Rahul, Gill, Jadeja and Sundar transformed themselves into walls and did not let the England bowlers to go through. Although not a win, but this draw was nothing short of a win, considering the situation the team was in. As we all saw, the match also had a very dramatic finish. Such has been the series that it deserves all the drama. Let's rewind and get through the match quickly.

To start off, the luck is definitely not favouring India as Gill lost his 4th consecutive toss in as many matches. It was also the 14th consecutive coin toss lost for India in International Cricket. I genuinely feel India haven't got their selection right for most of the matches. In search of batting depth, bowling potency is being compromised. Irrespective of how well or poorly you bat, no match can be won unless you pick 20 opposition wickets. Keeping a genuine wicket taker like Kuldeep out is not ideal. And the players who are picked ahead of him whom he can replace, are not doing any jutice to their roles. Shardul and NKR have been underwhelming. Seems like Gill doesn't have enough confidence in Shardul's bowling, which was evident in the 1st Test as well. Easwaran still not getting a look in says a lot about the direction Management wants to go in. Giving Kamboj a debut the moment he arrived in the UK was also not ideal. Although it was a proper hammering that Prasidh received in the 1st Test and the 1st inning of the 2nd test, But in the 2nd inning he was on the mark and I felt that he might have gotten a hang of the conditions. Kamboj is known for control but along with below par speeds, there was lack of control as well. He bowled a full over with speeds between 119-121 kph. At International level, it is not acceptable. He will have to improve immensely to continue in this team.

Put in to bat on the 1st day, India posted 358 in the first inning. Although Day 1 had the toughest batting conditions across the match, around 50-60 runs were left on the field by India. The injury to Pant was also detrimental resulting in him missing the Last Test of the series. He showed extreme dedication and willpower to return for batting and adding 20 odd runs. He has set an example for the team in the last 2 matches by coming to bat inspite of the injuries stressing the importance of mental strength. 

Now, one would believe that with a decent bowling attack that also has Bumrah, England might not get a huge lead. But what followed was one of the poorest bowling performance in the recent past. Bumrah, Kamboj and Siraj sprayed the ball everywhere. There was no consistency, no plan and no pressure built. It was all very easy for Duckett and Crawley. And this England team will not let go even a single loose ball. Sundar was introduced into the attack in the 70th over and he was very good as well. Shardul wasn't given a proper spell until 3rd day 2nd session. So tactically Gill has a lot of scope for improvement. India conceded 600+ in an inning away from home for the first time since 2015. So inspite of Bumrah's presence, it was a poor match for the Bowling attack.

At Lunch, Day 4 it seemed like the match is heading towards a fixed result but then Gill and Rahul joined hands. They played with patience, control and batted 2 full sessions giving hopes of a draw. It was still a herculean task to play out the whole 5th day. And when Rahul and Gill were dismissed in the 1st session itself, it seemed like England will grab the series with Pant unlikely to come out to bat. But then Sundar who got a promotion and Jadeja came together and applied themselves beautifully. Jadeja was dropped of the 1st ball but apart from that there weren't many chances offered. Their partnership had a control of ~92% which was very evident. Slowly the deficit was wiped off, India got into a lead and with only an hour to go for end of play, it was evident that the match is only going to draw.

And all of a sudden that is when the drama started unfolding. Stokes took his hand out walking towards Jadeja to shake hands and declare the match as drawn. And Jadeja with a smile on his face, declined. He stated it is not his decision, it's the Captain who decides and he hasn't received any message from his Captain. The camera then panned to Gill who from the dressing room was watching with a very cold face, which I didn't think Gill was capable of. I was surprised how cold the look was. I feel this is where both teams should have moved on with the game. But Stokes was amazed by Jadeja's decision and the sledging began from England. I did not understand why Stokes was so amused with Jadeja's decision when he himself was on 89 and Sundar was batting on 80. Although the match was to be drawn, when a player is so close to a personal milestone, there is no harm in carrying on for some time. After giving it some thought, I do understand Stokes' point of view in asking to end the game, but still it's tough to believe that he did not expect the denial from India. If two of his batters would have been in a similar situation, I don't think he would have shaked hands happily as well. And then to go ahead and sledge, just to demerit the efforts of both the southpaws was nit justified. Saying "Do you want to score a hundred against Brook and Duckett?" is like demeriting the efforts taken against Archer, Woakes, Carse, Dawson and Stokes himself, that too for a full day. So the hundred wasn't against some part timers, but against the whole England team. It is easy to say that maybe the two should have played faster for their milestones, but first priority was to save the match. After it was guaranteed that India won't lose the match, then to play for personal milestones is perfectly fine. What should have been a simple offer and rejection of the same, went too far unnecessarily. Eventually both of them got their centuries and shook hands and India drew a losing match, which is why it is being equated with a win.

Now that the series is alive, India has a chance to draw the series at The Oval. The last domestic match at Oval was a batting fest. While traditionally the Oval wicket has assisted swing bowlers. It is to be seen what kind of wicket is being prepared and what the team selection will be. Both sides could have changes due to a turnaround of only 3 days. The contest is set up beautifully and we should be in for another final day finish at The Oval.