Cliff Notes – India hold on as series of missteps continues to test resolve
- India faced a challenging start at The Oval, losing the toss on a green pitch and struggling with run-outs and dropped catches throughout the series.
- Despite setbacks, India’s batting depth showed resilience, with Karun Nair and Washington Sundar contributing to a cautious total of 203 for 6 by stumps.
- The team’s performance reflects ongoing difficulties, with hopes pinned on navigating the second day without significant changes in conditions.
India hold on as series of missteps continues to test resolve
When you start calculating a team’s batting average in the last 10 minutes before a scheduled break (12 for 165 at one point at Old Trafford, if it matters), you know it has been one of those “that kind of a series”. And it has been just that for India. They came to The Oval having lost all the tosses, having lost their best batter of the last five years to a reverse-sweep against a fast bowler, and run-outs, casual shots and dropped catches having had a bigger say on their fortune than the ability to bowl well or bat well for long hours.
India turned up at The Oval, didn’t hedge their bets for once and picked a specialist batter instead of a “bowling allrounder”. We can still debate they should have perhaps played a specialist bowler, but at least there was clarity of thought there. Then they lost perhaps the most influential toss of the series on a green pitch likely to be kept fresh by rain on day one and then two clear days.
India have been here before. In 2014, they were inserted on a green top at The Oval, were bowled out on day one and then chased leather for 116.3 overs. At Lord’s in 2018, they lost the toss and were devoured by the sweated damp pitch and frequent mini sessions long enough to put them back by one or two wickets everytime. The closest parallel was the middle session between two rain breaks when they had just enough time for Shubman Gill to be run out in slow motion, just like Cheteshwar Pujara was.
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At that moment, it felt like India had had another Test match turn on a run-out. It was almost like Gill ran to the shot he was looking to play in his mind. There was no cover, push the ball with a slightly open face, and rotate strike. The ball was full enough to do so, but the inswing on it drew the instinctive reaction to play with a straighter face, and Gill just took off. He would have been out even if he had not slipped when turning. The man who has arguably shown the best judgement all series, whose bat has made a distinctly different, sweeter sound all series, now had made the error that could cost him the series despite all the records.
India were 83 for 3 at that point. To make it more a “that kind of series”, they had to contend with a bowler who kept spraying the ball but also kept bowling the odd delivery bordering on the unplayable. “I think the bowlers’ landings were quite tricky today as well,” Ryan ten Doeschate, India’s assistant coach, sympathised with Tongue. “I thought all the England bowlers struggled with that, and that’s maybe why we saw some inconsistency. But it actually makes it very challenging when someone bowls like Josh did today, who is a very good bowler, when you don’t know what’s coming down as a batter. And he’s bowled a couple of absolute jaffas in there, and got two big wickets.”
From 123 for 5, India’s batting depth has done its job despite the wicket of Dhruv Jurel trying to cut a ball too close to him. Even at six down, India had Karun Nair and Washington Sundar, who is coming off a match-saving century and is pipped to be India’s No. 1 allrounder whenever Ravindra Jadeja retires. The score was 153 for 6, but India had proper batters playing properly to make use of the now softer ball.
By stumps they had added 51 largely fuss-free runs in 14.3 overs. In getting his first half-century since the triple-hundred nine years ago, Nair neither counterattacked nor went into his shell. He just made full use of every scoring opportunity thrown at him, and kept good balls out. Washington did much of the same in that partnership.
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It was as though India had absorbed all the hell the cricketing gods could unleash on them. With some help from some loose bowling from England, who were short on experience in the absence of Ben Stokes. However, in Test cricket, especially in England, a good score for the given conditions is quite often not a good score for the match.
India were cautiously optimistic with their effort, which still needs making use of the 16 overs with the old ball on the second morning. They wouldn’t want those 16 overs to be totally easy, though, because that would suggest a massive change in conditions for when England come out to bat.
“Hopefully it stays the same,” ten Doeschate said at the suggestion that 203 for 6 might be a good score given the conditions don’t change much on day two. “I think if you get the ball in the right area, you never feel like you’re in there. There’s always a good ball around the corner, and I don’t think it’s going to go absolutely flat, and there’s going to be a massive change in conditions. Hopefully it stays close to what it is.”
Ten Doeschate said 203 for 6 was a good reflection of the conditions, but said they hope to get close to 300. What he didn’t say was that they don’t want to stroll to 300 with some beautiful batting. They want to huff and puff and streak their way to 300. It has been that kind of a series.
