After Shubman Gill lost the toss and his team was asked to bat first, few Indian fans would have imagined that the total on board towards the end of Day 2 would be 587 and England would lose three wickets so soon after beginning their reply. That’s how the cookie crumbles sometimes: you get what you don’t even think of in the wildest of dreams.
Gill conducted himself like a supreme commander. He saw a few of the batters failed to capitalise on starts and made sure that he played the role of the anchor and aggressor at the same time. If the drives, pulls, nudges and pushes off the pads were sublime, respecting good balls and cutting out the tendency to play across the line to incoming deliveries showed restraint and responsibility.
Akash Deep then did a Jasprit Bumrah by striking twice in the second over. It became three soon after.
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However, that’s where this match begins. In order to draw level in the five-match series after losing the opener, India got the first act right and possibly exceeded expectations in the process. Now comes the more challenging part of taking this forward in a meaningful manner. The pitch is still good for batting and England bat deep. They chose these un-English like conditions because they have a plan and that is to ensure that the surface plays true for most of the match. That gives them a chance to flex their batting muscles almost till the end, like in the first Test.
For India to scupper that plan, they have to show patience with the ball, be prepared for unproductive passages of play without deviating from their plans and play the waiting game. Wickets are unlikely to fall in a cluster every now and then and the bowlers have to apply themselves for long hours to keep pegging away at this English line-up. Needless to say, the catching has to be perfect. A repeat of Leeds can undo the huge work done so painstakingly over two days.
India are the favourites at this moment. But, who are ‘favourites’ in sport? It’s those who make those favourable circumstances count and push the opposition out of the contest once they gain that advantage. This requires killer instinct, determination to overpower and tactical discipline to finish the job. Those who let advantages slip can’t be called ‘favourites’. Remember Leeds?
The first Test was under India’s control for long periods and they lost it for being sloppy with the bat, ball and in the field in critical moments. In a contest featuring two top teams, opportunities don’t knock on the door so soon after one makes a mess of them in one game. Due 200 per cent to Gill and to an extent Deep, India are calling the shots again. Now is the time to close it out. It will take time and the good news for India is there is a lot of it remaining in the second Test.
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