Once upon a time, as most fairytales begin, it was said that no batter’s education was completed unless they played in England, with its myriad challenges. Crazily swinging balls. Wickedly seaming deliveries, propelled by grass-laden surfaces. Rain one day, blazing sun the next, sometimes both the same day.
All that has changed in the last few years.
Soaring temperatures
British summers have truly become summers, at long last (the forecast at some stage during the third Test, beginning at Lord’s on Thursday, is for temperatures to hit 34 degrees). Throw in Duke’s balls that lose hardness, bite and edge after 35 overs, and flat surfaces that are so essential for the brand of batsmanship England have chosen to adopt in the last three years, and it is obvious that the scales are now heavily tipped in favour of the willow-wielders.
Sitanshu Kotak
England choose to stick the opposition in, like Ben Stokes has done in both Tests, because whatever little help there is for the quicker bowlers is for a brief pocket on Day One, with the deck at its freshest. More than that, England fancy themselves as a chasing side even in Test cricket and tracks have gotten better for batting as the match progresses, which means the traditional charm of watching Test match cricket here, with the batters forced to dig deep and work hard for their runs, has gone out of the window.
England weren’t amused with what was laid out at Edgbaston last week. The thinking within the camp is that the track suited India more than it did the home side because it deteriorated gradually and by Day Five, there was plenty of help for Ravindra Jadeja off the bowlers’ footmarks. Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum are keen on pitches with more pace where edges carry comfortably to the slips.
More grass on offer
Whether Lord’s will give them a strip to their liking remains to be seen. Early evidence points to more grass than the first two surfaces, but it is only early evidence and one must wait until Wednesday to see if, or how much, grass is taken off.
“The wicket will be a little more challenging, it seems,” Sitanshu Kotak, India’s assistant coach, said after Tuesday morning’s optional practice session where Jasprit Bumrah, who will return after sitting out the second Test, was the cynosure. “After the last two games, if as a whole, England want to give a little bit more challenging wicket, it is fair enough. But I am not really thinking, ‘Oh, it will be very challenging’. You bat well, it is fine. If you don’t bat well, any wicket can be challenging.”
India have batted brilliantly this series, with seven hundreds and a lowest total in four innings of 364. To say that a young batting core with little experience of Test cricket in England has outdone itself will be no exaggeration, with first-time skipper Shubman Gill (three hundreds) and his deputy Rishabh Pant (two tons) as the engine rooms. An encore at Lord’s, a place on the Honours Board? Bring it on, they will say.
