Mumbai: India put up an all-round performance in Vizag against England in the second Test to take a 1-0 lead in the five Test match series. The 246 runs victory over England was made even more special by England’s fight in the 4th innings.
The visitors dished out a stern fight as they played out almost 100 overs in the fourth innings of the match on a difficult 4th and 5th day pitch.
Here are the most talked about issues from the Vizag Test.
1. Virat Kohli: The new Mr. Dependable
Virat Kohli is arguably the greatest chaser in the shorter format. The flamboyant batsman’s has scored 16 centuries while chasing in ODIs, second only to Sachin Tendulkar’s 17. Also, in ODIs, Kohli has recorded 22 centuries in the winning cause.
However, batting in the longer format is a completely different ballgame. It’s not always about chasing down the target in a limited number of overs. In Test cricket, you are often required to bat for long to pile up as many runs as possible. Sometime, it’s just about batting for long to survive, with any chance of victory looking implausible.
For some reason, Kohli is not seen as a perfect fit for Test cricket. Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane are considered the core of India’s Test batting lineup, but Kohli in Vizag showed why he is the new Mr. Dependable for India.
The batsman has been in a rich vein of form in 2016, he has already struck two double tons this year. Kohli made 167 in the first innings in Vizag to help India cross the 450-run mark. In the second innings, Kohli once again came to India’s rescue, as every other batsman failed. Kohli’s 81 enabled India to set England the improbable target of 405.
In a similar situation in the second innings of the first Test, Kohli produced a gritty 49 not out on the last day to take India to a draw.
2. Jayant Yadav: The man for the big stage
Jayant Yadav endured a dream debut for India, as he contributed in all three departments for his side. The debutant provided vital support to India’s batting lineup as most of the Indian batsmen failed to deliver in Vizag. The lower-order batsman made a hard-fought 35 in first innings, while his 27 not out pushed India’s lead over 400 in the second innings.
Yadav was also instrumental in getting Haseeb Hameed run out in England’s first inning. The offie’s alertness in the field led to the dismissal of Hameed, resulting into a mini batting collapse.
The offspinner, who was included in the team as the fifth bowler, played his part to perfection. Yadav picked four wickets in the match, and assisted the bowlers to create pressure with his disciplined bowling.
3. England are here to fight and win
England lost the second Test, but they didn’t go down without giving a fight. The visitors made life difficult for the Indian bowlers, and pushed them to deliver a scintillating performance to help India win.
They are down 1-0 in the series, but Alastair Cook and Co. have made it clear that they are not here to merely participate in the bilateral series. Questions were raised about England team’s ability to play spin, as they succumbed to their first Test loss in Bangladesh, before coming to India.
However, in the first two Tests of the series, the English batsmen have showed that not only do they posses the temperament to fight India in their own backyard, but they also have the ability to graft and score runs on Indian pitches.
4. India still not clear on how to use DRS
India are using the Decision Review System (DRS) for the first time in a home Test series, and they are bound to make a few mistakes. However, considering the importance of DRS in changing the course of the game, the team needs to pick up the trick as early as possible.
Throughout the Vizag Test, India got six of eight reviews wrong. At times, it was felt that the team was reviewing decisions without any rational thinking, and the requests were more based on excitement and emotions.
The same happened towards the end of fourth day’s play. India challenged two not out decisions against Cook, only to be shot down by the third umpire. There’s no doubt that India will get better at DRS with time. But it’s also important for the team to think through a decision, discuss and appeal rather than going by their instinct.
5. Ajinkya Rahane continues to struggle
Ajinkya Rahane is going through a lean phase. Out of all the Indian batsmen that played the first two Tests, Rahane is the only one, who has failed to score a single 50+ score.
The batsman didn’t have a great time during the ODI series against New Zealand as well. It’s not fair to compare the two formats, but Rahane has struggled to score big in his last nine innings across the two formats (5 ODI inning and 4 Test innings). During this period, he crossed the 50-run mark only once, when he scored 57 against New Zealand in the 4th ODI in Ranchi.
Rahane’s contribution is critical to India’s Test performance, especially if they continue playing five bowlers. The middle order batsman is the crucial link between India’s top order and the lower order. And his failure exposes the lower order and puts too much pressure on R Ashwin and others.
