Unfortunate we lost Pandya off the last ball, says Rahane

NOTTINGHAM: India vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane said they might have lost two wickets too many but was happy with the score that the visitors ended with at stumps. Riding Virat Kohli’s 97 and an aggressive 81 from Rahane, India reached 307/6 with the fall of Hardik Pandya’s wicket on what was to be the day’s last ball.

“I think it’s a good score on this wicket. Unfortunately, we lost Hardik at the end. Me and Virat, we were planning to put pressure on the bowlers. In the end, it was a good score I think,” said Rahane after close of day’s play.

Asked if India could have done better, Rahane said more important was their intent on what has been a seaming pitch so far.

“Definitely, 320/4 would have been better but our intent was important on this wicket. The openers did really well. We were thinking that if we get a good start and if the top order does well, the middle order can capitalise. That’s what we were doing,” said Rahane.

The medium pace of Ben Stokes was disconcerting for India in the first Test at Edgbaston but both Kohli and Rahane looked in more control while playing him. “Me and Virat were focusing on rotating the strike and put the bad balls to the boundary. I think it’s because of his action and the angle that he creates. But as I spent more time in the middle, I became comfortable. We all know Stokes, he plays with me in the IPL, so that helps I guess (laughs),” said Rahane, referring to Stokes’s stint at Rajasthan Royals this year.

For the first time on this tour, India have looked composed in their batting. “It’s about taking one ball at a time and giving your best. We were looking to bat first, our intent was positive. The wicket was really good to start with, perhaps a touch slow as the day went on,” he said.

Rahane expressed confidence in the bowling line-up that has again got a makeover. “We do have a good balance, we know what Jasprit can do while Ishant and Shami have been bowling really well. Ashwin and Hardik also have been doing well. It’s important to bat well in the morning session and then bowl in the right areas.” It’s rare that cricket fans witness the ultimate bowler versus batsman duel where both players are at their peak. The gold standard for such battles would be Harold Larwood vs Don Bradman, the rivalry that spawned Bodyline.

I’ve had the good fortune to witness a couple of the best in this category; firstly Dennis Lillee versus Viv Richards and then Shane Warne up against Sachin Tendulkar. As you would expect with players of the highest class, the honours were about even in those battles with all protagonists experiencing moments of superiority.

Fans are currently enjoying another tilt of the highest quality in the battle between Jimmy Anderson and Virat Kohli. In 2014, Kohli experienced a run drought in England and Anderson was the undoubted victor in those tussles. However at Edgbaston, Kohli, with a little assistance from the butter-fingered English slip fielders, prevailed. That’s not to say that Kohli dominated Anderson but he found a way to survive -- and then prosper -- which is an achievement against the master swing bowler.

Anderson is the best swing bowler I’ve seen. For lateness of swing and ability to move it both ways with minimal change of action and consistency over a long career, he is unsurpassed. I witnessed first hand Bob Massie’s incredible debut at Lord’s in 1972 where he swung the ball prodigiously both ways to collect a staggering eight wickets in each innings.

Massie’s performance in that match was a remarkable example of controlled late movement through the air -- Anderson achieves that level of proficiency pretty well every time he bowls in England. His run up and action is athletically smooth and for metronomic repetition, Glenn Mcgrath would be his only challenger.

GREAT FEAT

So for Kohli to be confronted by a champion bowler in favourable conditions and score 200 runs for the match at Edgbaston, without conceding his wicket to Anderson, was a mighty achievement. Although Kohli was hampered by injury at Lord’s, he still resisted Anderson’s challenge but the impression was -- much like Bradman in his Bodyline battle with Larwood -- that the bowler’s presence had a profound effect on his eventual dismissals.

The difference between Kohli and the three aforementioned batsmen is the supporting cast. Bradman -- not that he required it -- was surrounded by one of Australia’s best ever top order lineups. Richards was the star in a

BOOKABLE OFFENCE

Jimmy Anderson will be just one of many challenges that Kohli faces in the next few weeks. Prior to reaching the UK, India had a glorious opportunity to defeat two heavyweights in England and Australia in consecutive Test series. This would’ve been a laudable achievement.

Now Kohli’s team is in danger of not only wilting tamely against England but also providing a depleted Australian team with a confidence boost, to the point where they will feel their chances of victory at home have greatly improved. If India were to lose both series this would be a bookable offence.

The next few months will be a defining period in Kohli’s captaincy. He’s shown on many occasions that he’s a master batsman; if he can resurrect this Indian team and find a way to thwart Anderson and his English cohorts, then it will go down as an example of masterful leadership.