India’s tour of England was full of obstacles. Unexpected things happened even before the start of the series, with two superstars announcing their retirement from Test cricket weeks before the team was selected. On the field, Jasprit Bumrah opted out of crunch games, while Rishabh Pant got injured in the fourth Test.
The following are major hurdles India overcame to secure the 2-2 draw:
No Kohli, no problem
There was a ‘V’ shaped void in the middle-order following Virat Kohli’s shock retirement from this format. The No. 4 was gone, along with the oodles of energy and passion that he brought to the field. Shubman Gill showed what he is made of by dropping himself down the order and batting in a position he never had. Four centuries and 754 runs at 75.40 meant the big absence wasn’t felt and a new cult figure is in the making.
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No opening blues sans Rohit
The new opening pair of KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal did enough to make sure that the team got runs from at least one of the two in almost all 10 innings. Rahul (532 runs, avg 53.20) was technically the most perfect opener from both sides, and the most consistent batter of the series. Jaiswal (411 runs, avg 41.10) wasn’t as prolific, but hit centuries in his first and last knocks of the trip.
Boom boom without Bumrah
All seemed gone when Jasprit Bumrah pulled out of the second Test after India lost the first and then again of the final one the team had to win. It was supposed to be a body blow. But Mohammed Siraj (23 wickets) played the role of the principal bowler with aplomb and played a huge part in the two wins the team secured, taking 16 wickets in those games. Akash Deep and Prasidh Krishna were not as incisive, but chipped in with match-winning contributions.
Pant out and so what
Rishabh Pant suffering a toe fracture was bad news. The wicketkeeper-batter was bossing the bowlers in his inimitable manner which kept England guessing, as they started running out of ideas. Two centuries in the first Test, half-centuries in the next three —Pant’s tally of 479 runs at 68.42 was a major boost. However, Dhruv Jurel replaced him and did excellent work behind the stumps. Also made a crucial 30-plus in the second innings at The Oval to stretch the lead.
Lost tosses, not the series
The toss is not always a decisive factor, but it’s an important one, especially in England where the weather keeps changing. To lose five flips of the coin on the trot meant India could never implement their Plan A. But they responded strongly, either batting or bowling first. They took more wickets than England with the new ball and in the end Gill’s words came true. “Don’t mind losing the toss as long as we win matches,” he had said before the last Test.
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