Congratulations to the Indian cricket team for reaching the World Test Championship final.
It is a thoroughly deserved accomplishment by a team that is on its way to becoming an all-time great team.
The Indians hammered the English by an innings and 25 runs in the final Test at Ahmedabad. England won the toss, batted on a flat pitch for the first innings and yet lost comprehensively.
If this were a golf match, it was like getting a high handicap and yet getting beaten by a distance. England are no match to India in these conditions and certainly not against this bundle of talent.
Why did England lose this Ahmedabad leg of the series?
The English think tanks over the years have relied on too many preset theories. Some of them have worked, and most have not worked. For example, the theory to take tall fast bowlers to Australia worked brilliantly in the 2010 Ashes. However, in this Ahmedabad leg of the series, most of their theories were ridiculous.
Let me list out a few of these bloopers.
If it is a pink-ball Test, you load up the team with seamers
Apparently, the pink ball was swinging around the corners during practice. The limited history of pink-ball cricket also suggested a partiality towards swing and seam bowling.
So the English team disregarded the dry and barren pitch, and the impact of Indian heat on swing and seam, and went with four seamers. We all know now how this turned out for them.
(Photo by Philip Brown/Getty Images)
If there are two left handers, don’t bowl the left-arm orthodox spinner
Jack Leach has been the best bowler for England in India. He has looked threatening every time he bowled and troubled top-class players like Cheteshwar Pujara.
What did the English do when Rishabh Pant and Washington Sundar were at the crease? They bowled the hit-me off spin of Dominic Bess and the part-time off spin of Joe Root.
On a turning pitch, the bowler who attacks the stumps is extremely dangerous. The batsmen have to play at every delivery, and the natural variation off the pitch will threaten both the edges of the bat.
How many times have the English seen Shane Warne throw the ball wide to left handers, get them bowled, or have made them reach out and hit the ball to cover in the air?
Still, no, we are English, and we will play by the theory that the bowler who can take the ball away from the bat is the one we will play.
(Julian Finney/Getty Images)
If the ball starts to turn, we will lose
When the first ball turned and kicked up dust on the first day of the second Test at Chepauk, England lost the mental battle.
England historically have been one of the more successful Test teams in India. They have won more Test series in India than the mighty Aussies in the past 30 years.
Rather than taking confidence from such past performances, the English media started to whine and engendered a defeatist environment for the English players.
The players have not come out and said anything negative. However, these kinds of negative vibes find a way to reach the players and impact the meek adversely.
Unfortunately, this English batting unit does not contain a Kevin Pietersen or an Alastair Cook to fight this kind of negativity.
Ben Stokes tried, but he is not as skilled with the bat as Pietersen was against high-quality spin bowling. Even the great Joe Root appeared to have gone into a shell after he top edged a sweep in Chennai.
(Photo by Surjeet Yadav/Getty Images)
No plan B when the sweep fails
England came to the sub-continent with one trick up their sleeve against the spin bowlers: the sweep shot. The strategy worked brilliantly until the first Test at Chepauk.
Once Joe Root top edged the sweep against Axar Patel on the bouncier Chepauk track, they were clueless about how to combat the Indian spinners.
Even if you have played just one Test, we shall rotate
Jos Buttler is one of England’s most talented and fighting cricketers. Think about the various pressure-cooker situations that English teams have been in recent times. You would remember Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes carrying them to victory or safety.
How on earth will you decide to rotate out such a key player? The reason for this is that dogmatic adherence to theories.
India and England have the deepest pool of talent in today’s cricketing world. They can put together two teams each and can compete well against one another.
It was disappointing for me as a cricket fan to see the English lie down and get rolled by the Indian juggernaut in this series’ last three Tests.
I hope that cricket during the English summer will be hard fought and produce exemplary cricket for all of us to enjoy.
Chris
Guest
India won twice in Australia for your information. Any non-subcontinent teams winning in India is a huge accomplishment and vice versa is true as well so given that India won twice down under is definitely a success. But I won't regard them with the Aussies of Waugh era given that they are yet to achieve their success in England and SA. This team definitely ran South Africa and England close their last series but until they prove their dominance in series we can wait. Even yesteryear dominant Australian teams had to wait for their success in India. A dominant team like Australia too had its own issues and when the team is in trouble Gilly took the game away from opposition. At times Hayden single handedly took the game against India by his sweep shots(OMG whataplayer!!) At times all those top order looked like bunnies until they are saved by Hussey(Mr.Cricket) and Andrew Symonds/Bevan(ODI's). So does it make Ponting a lesser player? No a good team will have players contributing at tough times. Thats what I could infer here.
Sgt Pepperoni
Roar Rookie
I do think playing a series in SL prior to an India series is a great idea. Rotation not so much
bsan
Guest
I do not support pitches that domineeringly favor spin/swing/pace or being completely flat. The pitch for the first test was apparently asymmetrically unfair i.e. being flat for the first two days (hence toss dependent!!) and then exploded when india batted (even Warney tweeted about it i think as a response to MV clown!). The next two pitches were symmetrically unfair (bad or the same condition for both the teams). Having said that, India did not play particularly well in that test and deserved the result it got. In hindsight, i am convinced given how the series had progressed, if the toss in the first test flipped the other way - it would be 4-0 now. In terms of inherent aptitude in tests this Indian team is probably much behind the ones led by Ganguly/Dhoni, but in terms of grit/self-belief scores much higher than the previous Indian teams. However, like you, at this point I am not convinced that this indian team can put up a good show in England this summer as both aptitude and grit are needed in abundance to succeed consistently in alien conditions, paucity of either of them is not enough. I completely agree that Pant has to improve his keeping skills significantly there is no doubt about that. Sundar appears promising, but I will wait for him to perform if given an opportunity in a place like England before commenting further on him. I do not agree, at least at this point, that this indian team is on its way to be an all-time great team. Nevertheless I do think this indian team is one of the much better traveling indian team ever.
Tsat
Roar Guru
I said on its way..India now have a squad from which they can pick up a set of players suitable for any condition..India earlier used to lack a quality third seamer..Again, even the mighty Aussies beat India in India only once..Sachin did not play the first two tests and had to rushed half fit..Nobody is questioning the Aussie juggernaut..
Just Nuisance
Roar Rookie
India played well. But as good as they are at home, as bad are they when playing against non subcontinental teams away.. Only won a Test series twice in NZ with those wins 41 years apart.. The last in 2016… Only won once in Australia, arguably against the worst Aussie team since 1970..in complete mental dissaray actually.. Only won 3 times in 18 attempts against England and have never beaten South Africa…. I’m not taking anything away from them.. Beating even average Indian teams in India with their uniquely challenging conditions is very, very difficult..and this is not an average team.. It’s very good.. But to start labeling them one of the greatest teams ever will only hold sway when they show they can consistently win away from home too and a single series win against Aus doesn’t yet convince me.
Look he may have succeeded where others failed but I have no evidence from his record to suggest he knows how to play Spin better than the others did....
Siddy
Roar Rookie
Kinda reminiscent of the 2014 India tour of england where India managed to win at Lords and then just self imploded in the last 3 tests. Going into the 2nd test India were under the pump coz a loss there would have meant goodbye to the wtc final spot. Complete dominance in those last 3 tests and a lot to ponder upon for the English side. Also, I still believe this Indian batting lineup is quite fragile. Just need to check when was the last time a pujara or a kohli scored a 100? Yes they have scored runs every now and then but they are more known for their ability to convert their starts into big 100s. Kohli, in particular, has been below par for a while now. Pujara, scored runs in Australia but never really converted his 50s into 100s. That, imo, is a worrying sign. I like Rahane but for all the talent he possesses, he is highly inconsistent. Scores a ton in a tough situation and then does nothing for the next 15 20 games. The depth is excellent but that is simply not enough you see. I dont see them dropping pujara or kohli or rahane which means going into the wtc finals, these 3 would still be short of runs.
Paul
Roar Guru
I'm not sure what point you're trying to make? Let's simply focus on the guys you've mentioned and leave players like Ponting for another discussion. Pant has real potential - as a number 6 bat but not as a keeper (unless he improves mightily). I also can't see how Sundar can be considered in similar vein after 3 Tests, when he's chosen as a spinner who can bat. He wouldn't have gotten a game but for Jadeja's injury and you're suggesting he's going to be a great of the game? Big call
Uday
Guest
England screwed up in terms of mental attitude more than anything else. It isn’t easy for anyone, Indian batsmen included, to play top spinners on spinning tracks. But England missed the main point - India were spooked into preparing turning tracks after the first test. India don’t generally like preparing turning tracks as it brings the (usually not as good) opposition spinners into play. England should have taken heart from this rather than get affronted
Paul
Roar Guru
He has an impact on some games, no argument, but I don't think he does it anywhere near as often as the English selectors would like, given he's a 70 Test veteran. He averaged 25 with the bat and had no impact on the series in India while much was made of his bowling in that last Test, but again, his team lost badly. Maybe he'll come into his own back in England.
Paul
Roar Guru
Shane Watson was the bloke I was thinking of.
Once Upon a Time on the Roar
Roar Guru
And that's not a good thing.
Once Upon a Time on the Roar
Roar Guru
Ponting’s last 6 tests in India yielded a ton and 4 half tons. Tendulkar took until his 5th and final one day series in Australia to make a limited overs ton here.
Once Upon a Time on the Roar
Roar Guru
Paul I'm trying to think of an Australian player in the 40 years I've followed the game who mirrors that depiction of Butler ... best I can think of is Andrew Symonds?
Once Upon a Time on the Roar
Roar Guru
Stokes doesn't need consistency when he has the kind of impact he does when it actually matters most.
13th Man
Roar Rookie
Starc should have been 'rotated' for the Sydney and Brisbane tests. And by rotated I mean dropped.
13th Man
Roar Rookie
Yeah I'd agree, I think England are quite clearly the 4th best side in world cricket by some distance. There batting is extremely sub par. The two best teams are in the WTC in my opinion, and Australia's batting line-up whilst being still very flimsy, still has a lot more upside than the English teams. Sibley, Burns, Bairstow and Foakes are not test quality batsmen, whilst Lawrence and Pope are young and inexperienced.
13th Man
Roar Rookie
Oli Pope was absolute cannon fodder in India.. as was Bairstow. I'd have had Buttler in over either of those.
Tsat
Roar Guru
Look at Ricky Ponting's performance in India..He must have played in 4 test series..One century I remember in Bangalore in 2008..Never had a dominant or even half dominant series in India..So, do you mean to Say Ponting is not a great of the game..He is a Bonafide great, no doubt..
Jak
Guest
I hope they select Bairstow for the Ashes.