At the end of day three of the third Test match between England and India at Southampton, the hosts are in a commanding position, winning virtually every session of play. India have been outplayed and outthought, and it will now take a monumental effort for the team to retain its hard-fought series lead.
Selection errors
Easy to say in hindsight, but the decision to pick an extra batsman in Rohit Sharma looked defensive, and has proved a failure. Picking Stuart Binny for the first two Tests was a curious enough choice. And the strategy of playing five bowlers worked in the first two Tests, so it was strange to see India revert to a more conventional set-up on what appeared to be a fairly placid surface at the Rose Bowl in Southampton. With Ishant Sharma injured, there was enough cause to strengthen the bowling. But instead of picking Ravichandran Ashwin – who has admittedly been underwhelming in away Test matches – India went for the safer option: an additional batsman. Rohit Sharma had a decent partnership with Rahane but fell – as ever – to an irresponsible stroke while on 28. India will need him to perform in the second innings.
Pujara and Kohli
Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli, the most gifted of India’s inexperienced middle-order, have both had disappointing stints in England thus far. Both were dismissed after promising starts at the Rose Bowl.
In Pujara’s case, two of his five innings, have been crucial in the larger context of the game – his 55 in the second innings of the Nottingham Test laid the early base, together with Murali Vijay’s half century, for India to see the match out for a draw, and his 28 off 117 on the opening morning on a green strip at Lord’s was a study in concentration. It’s a pity he hasn’t converted his starts, but there seems little wrong in the approach to his batting. A big score, you sense, is only around the corner.
Kohli’s failure has been starker. He failed miserably in both innings at Trent Bridge, and in the second innings at Lord’s he misjudged the slope, leaving alone a delivery from Liam Plunkett that nipped back to take off-stump. Just as we saw signs of a revival in form at the Rose Bowl, he nicked a seaming delivery from James Anderson to first slip. But Kohli is too good a batsman to go through the tour like this. He will come good.
Slip catching
One of the disappointing aspects has been India’s slip catching. Early on day one, Ravindra Jadeja committed the cardinal sin of dropping a sitter on a placid wicket. England captain Alastair Cook, woefully out of nick, was on 15, when he edged a fine delivery from the debutante Pankaj Singh. Jadeja spurned a catchable chance. Cook ended up making 95, alleviating the pressure on himself and his team, and Pankaj Singh ended the innings wicketless.
This was the eighth drop by India’s slip cordon in seven test matches. In this period, India has tried a variety of different combinations in the cordon. As Sidharth Monga of Cricinfo points out, in the 19 tests since Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman retired, India has tried five different players at first slip: Kohli, Pujara, Ashwin, Vijay and Shikar Dhawan, the position’s present occupant. As Monga writes, this constant swapping is itself symptomatic of the problem.
Anderson and Broad
India’s seam bowling has been generally impressive on the tour. The quicker bowlers have largely hit the right areas, and at Lord’s were able to tweak their length to suit the situation of the match. But at the Rose Bowl, it seems the teams are playing on different pitches. While India’s bowling proved dreadfully passive, England probed constantly. James Anderson, in particular, was a treat to watch. He swung the ball both ways, at good pace, and even bowled the odd bouncer to keep India’s batsmen on the back-foot. When he’s in this kind of form, Anderson can be unplayable. At the other end, Stuart Broad bowled several hostile spells, often using the short ball to bully India’s batsmen. This was a fine exhibition from one of modern cricket’s best fast bowling partnerships.
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Selection errors
Easy to say in hindsight, but the decision to pick an extra batsman in Rohit Sharma looked defensive, and has proved a failure. Picking Stuart Binny for the first two Tests was a curious enough choice. And the strategy of playing five bowlers worked in the first two Tests, so it was strange to see India revert to a more conventional set-up on what appeared to be a fairly placid surface at the Rose Bowl in Southampton. With Ishant Sharma injured, there was enough cause to strengthen the bowling. But instead of picking Ravichandran Ashwin – who has admittedly been underwhelming in away Test matches – India went for the safer option: an additional batsman. Rohit Sharma had a decent partnership with Rahane but fell – as ever – to an irresponsible stroke while on 28. India will need him to perform in the second innings.
Pujara and Kohli
Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli, the most gifted of India’s inexperienced middle-order, have both had disappointing stints in England thus far. Both were dismissed after promising starts at the Rose Bowl.
In Pujara’s case, two of his five innings, have been crucial in the larger context of the game – his 55 in the second innings of the Nottingham Test laid the early base, together with Murali Vijay’s half century, for India to see the match out for a draw, and his 28 off 117 on the opening morning on a green strip at Lord’s was a study in concentration. It’s a pity he hasn’t converted his starts, but there seems little wrong in the approach to his batting. A big score, you sense, is only around the corner.
Kohli’s failure has been starker. He failed miserably in both innings at Trent Bridge, and in the second innings at Lord’s he misjudged the slope, leaving alone a delivery from Liam Plunkett that nipped back to take off-stump. Just as we saw signs of a revival in form at the Rose Bowl, he nicked a seaming delivery from James Anderson to first slip. But Kohli is too good a batsman to go through the tour like this. He will come good.
Slip catching
One of the disappointing aspects has been India’s slip catching. Early on day one, Ravindra Jadeja committed the cardinal sin of dropping a sitter on a placid wicket. England captain Alastair Cook, woefully out of nick, was on 15, when he edged a fine delivery from the debutante Pankaj Singh. Jadeja spurned a catchable chance. Cook ended up making 95, alleviating the pressure on himself and his team, and Pankaj Singh ended the innings wicketless.
This was the eighth drop by India’s slip cordon in seven test matches. In this period, India has tried a variety of different combinations in the cordon. As Sidharth Monga of Cricinfo points out, in the 19 tests since Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman retired, India has tried five different players at first slip: Kohli, Pujara, Ashwin, Vijay and Shikar Dhawan, the position’s present occupant. As Monga writes, this constant swapping is itself symptomatic of the problem.
Anderson and Broad
India’s seam bowling has been generally impressive on the tour. The quicker bowlers have largely hit the right areas, and at Lord’s were able to tweak their length to suit the situation of the match. But at the Rose Bowl, it seems the teams are playing on different pitches. While India’s bowling proved dreadfully passive, England probed constantly. James Anderson, in particular, was a treat to watch. He swung the ball both ways, at good pace, and even bowled the odd bouncer to keep India’s batsmen on the back-foot. When he’s in this kind of form, Anderson can be unplayable. At the other end, Stuart Broad bowled several hostile spells, often using the short ball to bully India’s batsmen. This was a fine exhibition from one of modern cricket’s best fast bowling partnerships.