The India-England series has reached its climax with the final test at the Oval. Despite the misleading 1-2 series deficit, India has dominated England for almost all but 4-5 days out of the 20 played so far. This dominance is reflected in the individual run tally, with India having four players in the top five. Captain Gill has been exceptional, scoring 722 runs in a career-defining performance, including four centuries in four tests—a feat achieved only a handful of times before, and only once by a captain, Don Bradman. In bowling, only Ben Stokes has taken more wickets than the Indian pace trio. The absence of regular England opening bowlers in the top five highlights the strength of India's top order, despite a wobbly number three position where Sai and Karun have yet to cement their places, each showing moments of brilliance amidst shaky starts.
However, test matches are won and lost in micro sessions, not necessarily on the aggregate. Lower-order collapses in both innings at Leeds, the inability to negotiate a sub-200 chase at Lord’s, the heartbreak of not kicking the ball away as it rolled innocently into the stumps when so close to a historic win, batting failure despite a good start in Manchester, and getting bullied on a flat Manchester track while bowling—all these small differences are reflected in the 2-1 series scorecard. Lost sessions have cost India matches.
One could argue that India should have been 3-0 up at this point—never before on foreign tours have they shown such dominance. The reason they are not, frankly, is the Bazball wickets. These flattish, bully tactic wickets were intended to unleash England's top order on hapless touring bowlers. However, England needed a strong bowling attack themselves, which they lacked in this series. Apart from Stokes, no one has shown any real ability to penetrate. Take Manchester, for instance, where India’s batsmen gave away their first innings wickets like a giving tree. If India had Woakes and Carse as opening bowlers for four tests, there would have been calls for a change of management and allegations of incompetency. While India has not necessarily done themselves proud with their bowling, even Bumrah has looked clueless at times, and with the fourth seamer not serving any useful purpose, they have squandered their advantage.
In the second innings in Manchester, India needed to adopt a dominant mindset. Despite being 0-2 after one over, both Rahul and Gill knew this was a flat batting wicket and rebuilt India’s innings with patience and determination. The minimal threat offered by the English pacers with the new ball was neutralized. Stokes wasn’t well enough to bowl himself, and England had to rely on Dawson from their 17th over, who bowled for 40+ overs. They knew time wasn’t on their side and needed one or both batsmen to stay at the crease as long as possible. They didn’t take any unnecessary chances. Dawson may have ended up with impressive bowling figures for the 40 overs bowled, but India didn’t care. No inch was yielded. Fast bowlers kept conceding runs, and India kept building with relative ease. Finally, on the fifth day, Stokes produced a magic ball to get rid of Rahul for a well-made 90, and Archer got Gill for 103, but a determined Washington Sundar-Ravindra Jadeja pair prevented any further damage with intelligent batting and ground the opponents' will down. England went from eyeing an innings victory to fetching balls from the ropes, and their body language showed the wilting. Much has been written about how India was going through the motions as England piled up 669 in the first innings. On flat wickets like these, India played the true spoil-sport and dished out the treatment the bowlers had no chance against. Bazball boomeranged on itself. At 425-4 with a run-rate of under 3, India made England toil for three days before the crucial match of the rubber.
Stokes and the English team acted like petulant children whose candy was taken away. Their actions were unsportsmanlike, with their captain refusing to shake hands with the two Indian batsmen at the end of the day’s play. Jadeja and Sundar were well within their rights and the spirit of the game to get to their deserved centuries. England made a mockery of the last hour of play with Harry Brook bowling long-hops instead of trying their best to get the two well-set batsmen out and prevent the centuries they were coveting. One might argue that the Indians should have walked off the field when Stokes offered a draw—not this author. In a war of attrition this series has turned into, mostly because of the Bazball-friendly wickets, India was well within its rights not to let down any pressure. England should have come prepared to play for five days, even if a draw was ultimately the outcome. Trying to protect the front-line bowlers is like saying they can only play for 4.5 days. As a spectator, I deserve better.
I predict India will include Kuldeep at the Oval, even if it is a seamer-friendly wicket. They don’t need Shardul or Nitish in the allrounder slot—Jadeja, with 454 runs at 113.5, and Sundar, with 205 at 51.25, provide enough batting cover. Jurel or Jagadeesan as wicketkeeper-batsmen can substitute for Pant and add stability to the line-up. It’s time to bamboozle the English on their home soil and counterattack with spin. The question really comes down to who is fit enough to support Siraj. Will Bumrah play with the series on the line? That may well be the factor that determines who wins the match! Gill, Rahul, Jadeja, and Sundar have set this up beautifully, just as GR Vishwanath and Dilip Vengsarkar did in 1979 at Lord’s, allowing Sunny Gavaskar and India to dream of chasing down 438 at The Oval. The match that made me a cricket fan for life! Will Gill and India create a historic comeback and tie the series in England and get another generation of Indians to talk about this for the next 50 years?
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