Karthik shines as Essex pacers serve warning
CHELMSFORD:ESSEX’S most famous current player was absent, but Alastair Cook’s County issued a warning to India that despite the harsh summer, England can make life difficult for the visiting batsmen.
Green pitches help the ball move prodigiously and sub-continent teams look at them with suspicion. Coach Ravi Shastri though said this India squad was different and won’t complain after India recovered after being reduced to 3/44.
Skipper Virat Kohli (68), batting at No 5, and Murali Vijay (53) led the rescue in the morning, and in-form KL Rahul (58) and Dinesh Karthik --- the top-scorer --- produced useful hits in improved conditions against the older ball in the last two sessions.
India, electing to bat, were 322/6 at stumps with Karthik (82 no) and Hardik Pandya (33 no) together.
The match was reduced to three days and is not a first-class affair, but India’s top-order batsmen wobbled against the moving ball on a green pitch at the Essex County Cricket ground.
There was early movement on offer and Essex pacemen Matt Coles in the morning and second XI left-arm pacer, Paul Walter, in the post-lunch session, showed India batsmen are vulnerable when the ball is pitched up and moves on a helpful surface. Coles removed Shikhar Dhawan for a first-ball duck and Cheteshwar Pujara too fell to him, for a run off seven deliveries. The India No 3 has struggled to score even when set, a problem that surfaced in the Johannesburg Test in South Africa and during his Yorkshire stint. Ajinkya Rahane was done in by Matthew Quinn, also caught by keeper James Foster, reducing the visitors to 44/3 in the morning.
Vijay’s batting rhythm is less about scoring runs and more India’s squad for the first three Test against England has 18 members; 19 if Bhuvneshwar Kumar passes the fitness Test! Has there been any other occasion when so many players were named for a tour? I’ve been jogging my memory furiously but was left scratching my head.
In days past, host countries kept a ceiling on the number of players in a visiting side, usually 16.
Times have changed. Now visiting teams can carry extra players if they can afford to do so. With BCCI coffers overflowing, money is hardly an issue. Whatever it takes to win must be done.
Fair enough. But it does raise questions about the level of confidence in the players – not forgetting the pressure on them -- if there are going to be back-ups for back-ups.
I’d be loath to suggest panic, but this does reflect certain amount of apprehension that a carefully prepared gameplan has gone somewhat awry, and that a new one is yet to be formalised.
History shows that the three series won by India in England have come essentially through splendid bowling efforts: Chandrashekhar in 1971, Chetan Sharma, Kapil Dev, Maninder Singh in 1986, Zaheer Khan, Anil Kumble in 2007.
At the core of the plan for this tour – over a year and more -- was making up a bowling attack that could take 20 wickets consistently, with pace bowlers the key. This has undoubtedly suffered a setback through injuries to Bumrah and Bhuvaneshwar.
One can’t blame the team management or selectors for this situation. The predicament arose through misfortune. Yet, India’s bowling even in the absence of these two is not the main worry.
Umesh, Shami, Ishant, Pandya, Thakur, Ashwin, Jadeja and Kuldeep provide depth, skill and variety to choose from in pace about staying patient. The seasoned hand, let off twice, got a good run and showed what is needed to click in England while Kohli picked his shots and spots.
Both fell as they got adventurous, Vijay beaten and bowled as Walter angled one to beat his defence and Kohli edged a wide, slower delivery to first slip.
KL Rahul played fluently, attacking Walter as he tried to vary his pace against a class batsman. Karthik, the No 1 stumper due to Wriddhiman Saha’s injury, put away the bad balls to reach an almost run-aball half-century. It would have added to Pujara’s pressure as well. The top-order wobble would have interested Jimmy Anderson, expected to lead the England attack with the squad to be named on Thursday.
The unfancied Essex pacers tested the India top order, which will be crucial in India avenging their 2014 series debacle. Kohli (68) and Vijay, who will be crucial in that task, raised 90 runs for the fourth wicket as a crowd of a few thousands turned up and appreciated good cricket from both sides.
Brief scores: Indian XI (M Vijay 53, V Kohli 68, KL Rahul 58, D Karthik 82*, M Coles 2/31, P Walter 2/90) v Essex.
Brief Scores: India U-19 1st innings: 613/8 decl (P Shah 282, A Taide 177) vs Sri Lanka U-19 1st innings: 140/4 in 49 overs (M Jangra 3/43).