Sans Kohli, our batting is regressive
Kohli, the only batsman to have scored 500 runs in this series, has been left in the lurch by an inconsistent top order
There are two ways of looking at the series loss in England.
One: You could take heart in the fact that India ran England close in all the Tests except the one at Lord’s. India lost all four tosses and competed on equal terms for the majority of every Test but failed to close the tight moment that defined the result.
Two: You can look back at the tour of South Africa and draw parallels, and perhaps, learn some valuable lessons. India had their moments there also but just like this tour, they couldn’t cross the finish line there. India might not have been outplayed in most of the games, there’s no place to hide from the fact that India lost both the series. While sticking with the first narrative will give hope, it won’t really initiate progress. After all, India drew a Test in South Africa and won a Test in England in 2014 too. Since those were the first tours to these places for most of these players, you could understand the results.
NO. 1, SO WHAT?
But on this tour, India travelled as the No 1 Test side and the current strength, or the lack of it, of their opponents had presented a realistic possibility of winning a series. That’s why it’s prudent to spend more time on the second narrative, for that’ll put the team on the path of improvement.
Players, especially the batsmen, tend to get better with age and experience but it hasn’t really reflected in this year’s overseas performances. Kohli is the only batsman who’s managed to upgrade his skills significantly, for the rest seemed to have either regressed or stagnated.
In 2014, opening was a problem and unfortunately, it continues to be so in 2018. In fact, it’s become a bigger worry with Vijay no longer a part of the Test team. Rahul hasn’t scored a fifty in the last 12 overseas innings and Dhawan’s returns aren’t too dissimilar, for he hasn’t crossed the fifty run mark in the last 8 overseas innings.
PANDYA’S ROLE
In 2014, India toyed with Stuart Binny for the seam-bowling allrounder slot and while Hardik Pandya has done a little better than Binny, the slot is still nowhere close to getting filled properly. Despite his heroics in Nottingham, Pandya’s still the fourth seam-bowler and not a batsman who fits into the top six.
If there’s quantifiable improvement, it’s in the bowling, for they’ve dismissed the opposition twice in six out of seven overseas Tests in 2018. While taking 20 wickets is essential to win Tests, that alone isn’t always enough, for India have lost four of the six Tests in which their bowlers took 20 wickets without conceding much. But even there, there could be some room for improvement.
On this tour, they managed to remove the English top order without much damage but invariably, the lower order continued to be a thorn in the flesh. They say removing the tail is an art and, perhaps, that’s their next challenge.