In the build up to the India vs England Test series, there were reasonable predictions that India would be the ultimate challenge for Bazball.
Not only do India win every Test series they play on home soil, but their conditions are almost diametrically the opposite of what England’s attacking style is best suited to. You might be able to take 33 runs off Ravindra Jadeja first four overs, but one suspects reality will eventually come home to roost. By the end of the third Test in Rajkot, the reality was painfully clear: India are going to win this series.
One could be forgiven for being slightly apprehensive about Team India in the lead up to this match. The batting is very young and inexperienced – certainly compared to what we’re used to – the wicket keeper was on debut, and the relatively full strength bowling line up had not been getting the job done with the usual ease in the previous two matches. But India has found their range, and their future.
Let’s start with Yashasvi Jaiswal. The youngster is currently averaging 71.75 after seven Tests. His two double centuries in this series already show an appetite for runs and the ability to build an innings.
Yashasvi Jaiswal. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
That his stance and generally belligerent approach to his cricket feels more T20 than Test is working perfectly for him, and it gives an almost Bazballian sense to India’s top order; one that is slightly more reliable than the authentic one.
Gone are the days of Indian openers who saw the shine off the new ball, like Aakash Chopra, Wasim Jaffer and Murali Vijay. If the early 2000s saw India emerge as a force to be reckoned with by playing traditionally patient cricket and the Kohli era saw them become an a aggressive and dominant force, the Jaiswal era might just see India become a fast-scoring powerhouse that plays entirely without fear or anxiety, as is the wont of modern cricket.
After all, Shubman Gill at three has a different feel to Cheteshwar Pujara, and they just added Sarfaraz Khan to the middle order, whose average and strike rate are both in the seventies at First Class level. Goodness me.
The addition of Dhruv Jurel into the team also feels like a huge positive for the future. His batting record is very tidy, and he displayed some brilliant glove work in the run out of Ben Duckett, as well as some incredible reflexes behind the stumps throughout the match. A relatively late starter to wicketkeeping, Jurel already feels like a magnificent option going into the future. If he can become a consistent performer with the gloves, they’ve found yet another part of the puzzle for the next ten years.
But experience came to the fore as well; showing the old heads still have a lot to offer India. Rohit Sharma’s 131 in the first innings was a timely reminder of his class, having come in for a lot of recent criticism. Then Jadeja ensured India would have a foundation from which they would always be difficult to beat, notwithstanding the horrific run out of Sarfaraz. It’s hard to fathom that a man who has taken 300 Test wickets at an average of just over 24, could also come out at five with the bat and score a slow, patient century.
(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
With the ball, India were getting Bazballed, until they weren’t. Duckett’s century late on day two ensured England went to stumps with genuine hope, showing that even a first innings of 445 in 130-odd overs is not enough to dissuade England from aggressively pursuing victory at all moments. But as it turned out, that approach cost them badly.
It doesn’t matter how many times it works, if you reverse-lap Jasprit Bumrah straight to slip, you’ll look a little silly. And whilst England have selected their team largely around who is best suited to this style, Joe Root was already an incredible player well before Bazball, and a consummately traditional one at that. Play this way in India at your peril. It went downhill fairly quickly after that, with seam and spin taking five wickets each.
As for the day four collapse, what else did we expect? Bazball hasn’t heard of playing for a draw, and if that’s what they were doing, they looked slightly under qualified for it. Jadeja ran through the top and middle order, which restored that familiar feeling of how Tests are India are meant to be, and everything just reverted to what we all knew deep down.
England were never going to win this series. India are still a dominant force at home.
BigGordon
Roar Rookie
I gather from comments made by Ben Stokes the pitch for the Ranchi Test is going to be "interesting". According to Stokes, "I've never seen something like that before. I have got no idea so I don't know what could happen," There are cracks on one side of the pitch only, so no idea how this will play. He also said it seemed crubly so we could be in for another 2 or 3 day match.
Boomshanka
Roar Rookie
India should prepare turning pitches, but not 'bunsen burners'. The burners only bring the largely previously unheralded visitors' spinners into the game (see Kuhnemann, Krejza, Hartley). Greentops at home assist the visitors' pacers the same way.
The Bush
Roar Guru
India are coming this summer, so I don't think they'll get any more games under their belt beyond this series, but I could be wrong. I don't think it matters though, Gill's been here before with success and Jaiswal seems to already be comfy in the role.
The Bush
Roar Guru
I dunno if anyone expected India to suddenly go down the tube, but they certainly needed to rejuvenate the side. Presumably we're now looking at a line up of Jaiswal, Sharma, Gill, Kohli at the top and you'd think they'd now give Safaraz a shot at 5-6. So not a lot of openings for Rahul, Iyers and others. In Rahul's case, his chances might dry up as he'll be into his mid-30rs by the time Kohli's done.
The Bush
Roar Guru
Plus you don't want to bring Australia's pacers into the contest, where as that's far less of a threat with England, so not just our batsmen would have done better, but so would our key bowlers.
ColinT
Roar Rookie
I don’t want any green tops either and I also want to see test matches that go the distance. I don’t think there is anything wrong with CA wanting that. A five day test match where the winner is not apparent until the last few overs on day five is a great test match. Irrespective of what other nations may or may not do, I would prefer Australia to prepare pitches that provide a fair contest between bat and ball for both sides. Something for the fast bowlers early on, something for the spinners later on and reasonably predictable bounce for the batters. Not an easy task for curators but that should be their aim.
qwetzen
Roar Rookie
Jaiswal is clearly a very good bat on pitches that are low, slow and have little bounce. I didn't see any of his first 200 in this series, but I did watch his second with growing interest. The thing that was most interesting was that he reminded me of DGB. "Gasp!" I hear you exclaim. I'll explain why... Like The Don, when he went for an attacking shot, he *really* went for it, featuring an extraordinary swing of the bat. Bradman was able to do this because it was reckoned that he 'saw the ball' so much earlier than humans. So, does Jaiswal have that ability too? I'll reserve judgement until at least the next Test
Panthers
Roar Rookie
Australia needs to be building, including in confidence . Giving India easy pitches here with no bounce , like the last tour . Will end in a 3 to 5 zero series win for India. My suggestions are to just make the series competitive .
DTM
Roar Rookie
CA need the revenue from the India series and will want all the test matches to at least go into a 4th day. Therefore, there will be no Gabba green tops (ala South Africa last summer). CA will bend over to India's demands - the execs bonuses depend on a financially successful tour!
BigGordon
Roar Rookie
Sorry, but I can't agree with the majority of your comments. Jaiswal is clearly a very good bat on pitches that are low, slow and have little bounce. He obviously shines in home conditions and his twin double centuries have been outstanding innings but, he made 50 runs in 4 innings in South Africa, averaged 12.5 and struggled against short pitched bowling. How will he go against Australia in Perth or at the Gabba? Shubman Gill is hit or miss and an average of 29 before this last Test suggests he was doing a lot of "missing". Hopefully for India, he's a late bloomer. Sarfaraz Khan also looks a good player in home conditions but lets see how he goes over a few more Tests before passing judgement. I also take FC averages in India with a grain of salt. Patidar and Gill both came into the India side with huge averages and both have struggled. Rohits century should have been stopped in his tracks when he was in the 20's, but Joe Root couldn't hang onto a fairly straight forward catch, at this level anyway. That was the turning point of the game, not his reverse sweep to be caught. If Rohit was out, India were 4 down for less than 50 and there's every reason to think England would have got them out for a lot less than the 445 they made. England are only one Test down in the series and of they get more pitches like they have so far, they've shown nough in the last 19 months to suggest this series is not done and dusted at all.
Panthers
Roar Rookie
Hopefully Australia is choosing the new breed of fast bowlers here . Then not allowing India to choose which grounds they play on & when, as with the last tour. As any touring team should be getting the Queensland & WA grounds early in a tour. As Australia’s only real hope looking at the batting , is a pace battery of those capable of bowling 145 plus . On pitches with real bounce .
Linphoma
Roar Rookie
One thing must be apparent: England under Bazball don't play long innings. Everything is over and done with within 100 overs regardless of conditions. When is India's bowling stocks taxed with a baking day and a half in the field? Duckett's assault on the evening of day 3 was perfect for England to come out on day 4 and grind, grind, grind, make India chase leather, tick the runs over. It never happened because this ethos doesn't value this purpose.
Sgt Pepperoni
Roar Rookie
This comment should be an article dtm
whymuds
Roar Rookie
What's exciting for me is that this is the most inexperienced Indian batting line I can ever remember. Stokes has played more games than our top 6! Add to that we are missing Shami, I can't imagine an easier time to smash and grab a rare away series win in India. England fans may justify this loss by saying they had no hope anyway because beating India in India is near impossible, but that is a massive cop out. In saying that, England has batting upside. Surely Root will change his approach and score a few runs. And Crawley and Pope look prime for more time in the middle. And no Bumrah for the next game. Separately, really looking forward to the BGT next summer in Australia. Not expecting another series win but eager to see how Jaiswal, Khan and our other young batsmen respond to the pace and bounce. And given it will be a long 5 test series, we'll be using a 4th seam bowler (whoever that is) who could get massively exposed.
Ouch
Roar Rookie
I heard tonight that the Ginger Whinger now has the most ducks against India by any player - 8
ColinT
Roar Rookie
I think they are likely to be a dominant force away from home as well. By the time they come to Australia next year their young players will be a bit more experienced, but still with the fearlessness of youth, facing a very much older and experienced Australian team. I am looking forward to an exciting series.
Panthers
Roar Rookie
So much for that story about the end of India’s dominance. With some older players. Jaiswal & Sarfaraz . The start of the new breed & look better than most any other batsman around already. Bazball ? Jaiswal was clubbing the English bowlers over the fence all around the ground. Sarfaraz was doing similar & attacks most of the time.
DTM
Roar Rookie
Yes but .... It appears that the wickets have been set up by India to protect their young batsmen with the absence of Kohli. This also has helped England be (sort of) competitive. Even after only 3 tests, the stats reveal the story when compared to Australia's 4 tests last year - Bowling Wickets taken by pace bowlers - England series 32 (29.6%), Australia series 18 (15.9%) Wickets taken by spinners - England series 76 (70.4%), Australia series 95 (84.1%) Batting Individual players with more than 200 runs - England series 7 (from 3 tests), Australia series 6 (from 4 tests). Centuries - England series 7, Australia series 5. India would not have served up these pitches to Australia as Warner, Smith, Head etc would not have gifted their wickets as the Poms have done. When you go to India, you expect the wicket to turn. However, the pitches prepared for England so far have been very sporting when compared to what Australia got.