England fail to turn the screw
NEVER have Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar been quite so sorely missed. England desperately needed a class spin bowler here in a fourth Test that was already in danger of slipping away by the close of the second day.
It was here at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai four years ago that England pulled off a famous victory on their way to a momentous series win when Swann and Panesar outbowled India’s spinners in their own back yard.
Now, with the ball turning square and England losing all 10 wickets to spin for the first time in India since 1977, the successors to the pair were made to look innocuous in comparison in conditions that were made for them.
Where Ravichandran Ashwin was a constant threat in taking six wickets and Ravindra Jadeja four, Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali were an acute disappointment.
All of England’s hard work in reaching 400, made possible by a brilliant 76 from Jos Buttler, should have seen them dictate terms at a ground where no team has lost after making so many in the first innings. Instead, India reached 144 for one by the close by largely defending against England’s four seamers and going after the two spinners.
Rashid and Moeen could yet play a decisive role here but, if India can get any sort of first-innings lead, they will be strong favourites to take a winning 3-0 advantage in this five-match series.
Rashid had gone into this match as the leading wicket-taker on either side with 18 victims. But this was an examination of his mettle as much as his talent and he failed to pass it.
India made clear their intentions when Lokesh Rahul hit Rashid’s first ball straight down the ground for four and they never allowed him to settle. Moeen was better and made the breakthrough with a beauty of an off-break that bowled Rahul through the gate — but there were too many loose deliveries from him, too, as no pressure was built on the Indian batsmen.
Unless Rashid and Moeen get it right on day three, with Murali Vijay and Che Pujara already having added 107, England are going to face another uphill battle.
The irony is that England appear to be moving in the right Test direction and locating more pieces of their Ashes jigsaw for this time next year, without it being reflected in results thus far.
Now, to add to the ‘discovery’ of two openers in Haseeb Hameed and Keaton Jennings, came the confirmation that Buttler really does belong in Test cricket.
It was no surprise when he lost his Test place in the United Arab Emirates last winter because the dual role of keeper-batsman had wearied him and left him confused.
What has been a shock is how long it has taken him to get back. Quite simply, his dynamism means that he is too gifted to be left out by England in any form of the game.
Firstly, Buttler defended with huge skill after coming in at 249 for five with the ball already ragging.
Then, after the controversial departure of Ben Stokes yesterday, Buttler proved the perfect man to marshal the tail.
At his side during a ninth-wicket stand of 53 which took the score to 400 was the unlikely figure of Jake Ball, who hit 31 before falling to Ashwin. Buttler then fell to Jadeja.
How many England would have made had Stokes not been given out on 31 will never be known but they are entitled to question the process which led to a not-out decision being overturned, even though Stokes said on Twitter he was happy to accept he was out.
The accident which saw umpire Paul Reiffel hit on the head on the first day led to the Australian being ruled out of the rest of this Test with concussion and prolonged TV duties for Chettithody Shamshuddin.
And the local official was under the spotlight here before deciding there was conclusive evidence that Stokes had hit the ball, rather than the ground, with his bat.
But did Shamshuddin make the decision? He was picked up by microphones asking: ‘What do you think, Adam?’ before giving Stokes out. Adam, it transpires, is a review system operator but, expert on technology that he apparently is, should his opinion be valid on an umpiring decision?
By the close, it was the least of England’s problems.