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I’m all for home advantage in Test matches. The Indian team lost the first match in Bengaluru, thanks to their weird fate with weather conditions. The timing of rain ensured that the Kiwis felt home in both the innings of Indian batting.
A 46 run collapse is inexplicable for any team, leave alone the No. 1 team. But, the way Pant and Sarfaraz battled on after Kohli and Pant partnership on Day 3 was heartening to watch, showing the mettle of this team. Had Kohli not got out at the fag end of Day 3, the fate of the test match could’ve been very different. But, India buoyed with confidence when the juggernaut of Pant and Khan rolled on.
That was a good period of advertisement for Test cricket. A single ball, deflated the Indians, after having a great session on Day 3. And even at this age 300+ leads are too much of a catch up, for any team.
It rained again and the effect of weariness of the pitch, was taken out when the Kiwis batted again. With a feeble lead, the game was lost when the Indians lost 7 wickets for some 60 runs. None of the lower order batsmen, quite showed up.
Having been put in an unfamiliar territory of being behind in home series, Indian management decided to go for the desperate measure of a spin friendly pitch in Pune. They even decided to draft in Washington Sundar, the last minute, even when Kuldeep Yadav, who has found his mojo of late. Washington did exceedingly well in his first Test in 3 years.
However, the way the Indian team folded, conceding 100+ lead is alarming. Indians fell into their own trap. What is worrying is the way the Indians got out, trying to hit their merry way out of the spin exam. That’s not a simple ask! You need to have a sound defensive game to ride the storm in Test cricket. Indians looked a bit circumspect on that front.
A Pujara, might be boring for the average viewer. But, he truly carried the baton forward from a certain Dravid! On days like the one in Pune, you need to grind it out and play time, to get through. This aspect of Test cricket needed a reminder for the Indian team.
The test facing the Indians, is quite a stern one. The Aussies in their backyard, would be quite a handful! One also needs to keep in mind that the flag bearers of the Test team, Rohit, Ashwin, Kohli, Shami and Jadeja have their age catching up. As much as we can be a cock-a-hoop about modern fitness, it’s worrisome that India does not have battle ready replacements in the Test team.
We certainly have overlooked the Pujara vacuum. Sarfaraz is in the early days of his career and may need to tone down a little bit, having got out thrice in the series, trying to go over cover. Subhman Gill is still not there. Rahul keeps doing what he has been doing for years, unreliable. Jaiswal has been consistent over the year, with 1000+ calendar runs. It would be interesting to see how he fares overseas. We still have not been able to give a fair run, for a backup opener, the likes of Abhimanyu Eeshwaran, is a cause of worry, particularly in Australia. And the bowling is over reliant on Bumrah and we are still sweating on Shami’s fitness.
Yes, India pulled off a heist, last time under Ajinkya Rahane. But, a heist is a heist and may not always come through. Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma have all the reasons to tighten the screws and up the ante in preparation.