Battered India seek consolation
DRAWING INSPIRATION Kohli & Co look to emulate the 1971 team that scored India’s only Test win at The Oval
LONDON:India’s most famous Test win on English soil came at the Oval 47 years ago, which is also their only win at this venue in 12 trips. However, the last game in 2014 ended in an innings defeat with a demoralised India, 1-2 coming here, routed for 148 and 94. Skipper Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri though will seek inspiration from India’s maiden Test win in England in 1971 here. They have promised to fight on despite losing the Southampton Test in four days to concede India’s third series in a row in England.
India’s lower order batsmen came unstuck on a dry pitch last week with off-spinner Moeen Ali taking nine wickets by exploiting the rough caused by bowlers’ footmarks. The Oval pitch has some grass but is dry and is expected to give pacers the upper hand in the first two days before spinners make a mark, a pattern seen over the last 10 years and 10 games. England have a 4-4 winloss record at the Oval in the last decade, including two innings wins over India. Off-spinner Graeme Swann was a key wickettaker in the 2009 win over Australia and the 2011 defeat of India.
However, India’s potent pace attack has taken 20 wickets in three of the four Tests and can take a leaf out of Pakistan’s win here in 2016, when they first hit with the pace of Mohammad Amir, Sohail Khan and Wahab Riaz — they shared 10 wickets — and then with leg-spinner Yasir Shah (5) and off-spinner Iftikhar Ahmed (1).
England’s win over South Africa last year too followed the same script. The first two innings saw pacers take 19 wickets. In the second innings though, South Africa left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj took three of the seven England wickets before Moeen’s 4/45 sealed the 239-run victory.
The key for India will be their batsmen’s shot selection. Top-order batsmen have traditionally done well at the Oval and India’s openers can look to set right their poor record so far in the series, where they have failed to score a fifty. It will be an important toss to win for Kohli — he has lost all four tosses — as batting first will help put pressure on England in the fourth innings.
India though may field leftarm spinner Ravindra Jadeja for the first time in the series, probably at the expense of R Ashwin who struggled in Southampton. In his last Test against England, at Chennai in December 2016, Jadeja took eight wickets in one session to bowl India to victory.
If India pick an extra batsman, and go for uncapped Hanuma Vihari over Karun Nair, he can also bowl off-spin. With Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul struggling, 18-year-old Prithvi Shaw too could be handed his debut, and that will bring players who are fresh.
COOK FAREWELL
England will again look to hit India with pace and spin to give retiring Alastair Cook a victorious farewell. James Anderson needs five scalps to surpass Glenn McGrath’s (563) tally and become Test cricket’s most successful pacer. England have retained the same eleven that won the fourth Test in Southampton. Jonny Bairstow will again keep wickets after Jos Buttler was entrusted that duty in the fourth day in the light of a finger injury to Bairstow.