This was the day England feared most – they got everything wrong
Root wins toss but loses cool in angry exchange with umpires Bowled out for 112, tourists are already staring in face of defeat
Poor batting, wrong selection and arguments with umpires: this was England’s worst day of the winter and should have cost them any chance of a famous series win in India.
On a chart of worst scenarios, this would have been top. England won the toss, picked four seamers but were bowled out in the first two sessions, when the pitch was at its best for batting, by spinners who shared nine for 64.
By the close, India were 99 for three, with Jack Leach, England’s sole spinner, taking two of the three wickets to fall, including the late one of Virat Kohli. But with Rohit Sharma looking ominous on an unbeaten 57, India are one good session away from being out of sight.
Joe Root had a face like thunder, chirping at the umpires, angered by decisions he felt were made in haste and favoured the home team. He must know his chance to join Alastair Cook, David Gower and Tony Greig as winning England captains in India has gone, and it hurts.
The umpires were not to blame, or the pitch, but England’s batting. They were all out for 112, losing eight for 36 in a 26-over collapse, the fourth time in a row they have been bowled out for under 200, and you have to go back to 1909 for the last time that happened.
Of the 40 wickets in those four innings, 34 have fallen to spin, and England’s batsmen have been exposed since the first two days of the first Test. England’s reliance on Root has been made plain, too. Since his 218 in the first innings of the series, he has scored 100 in his next three; his colleagues failing to back him up. Selecting four seamers was a blunder that will be looked on dimly in years to come and was also a reflection of the state of English spin bowling. England knew it would turn, but Root plainly has more faith in his seamers than Dom Bess, which is why he asked Moeen Ali to stay on.
The error was compounded by going with Stuart Broad and James Anderson, England picking their legends after seeing them bowl well in the nets. They were right to select Jofra Archer for his pace but wrong to not give him the new ball when they needed wickets. Once they settled on four seamers, not picking Chris Woakes lengthened the tail.
Rotation is essential for bowlers, but it does not work for batsmen. Jonny Bairstow was in form when he went home after two Tests in Sri Lanka, but could barely get bat on ball in chalking up a nine-ball duck.
Covid bubbles are hard and players need a break, but Bairstow could have missed the white-ball leg to resurrect his Test career and have a run at No3, such a pivotal position. Instead, his comeback was interrupted by going home. At least the Sunrisers will be happy. He should be attuned to conditions again and in nick by the time the Indian Premier League starts.
Zak Crawley’s classy half-century showed what a threat he will be on true Australia pitches next winter, but apart from his stroke play, there was a sorry succession of batsmen spooked by spin. The exception was Dom Sibley, the only England wicket to fall to seam. If Crawley’s shot play was mouthwatering with the Ashes in mind, Sibley’s dismissal was less encouraging. He fended and nibbled outside off stump to give Ishant Sharma a wicket nine balls into his 100th Test.
Crawley unfurled some wonderful drives to prove he was over his wrist injury. Watching on was Rory Burns, dropped for the first time by England. There are enough questions over their batting not to write him off yet.
Bairstow wasted a review when he missed Axar Patel’s first ball, a straight one that hit him in front. Soon, Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin were whirring away together. They were outstanding, barely bowling a bad ball, building pressure and challenging both edges with a combination of big turners and straight deliveries that took the bulk of the wickets.
Crawley raced to his fifty with 10 fours off 58 balls, but managed just two off his next 26 once Patel and Ashwin found their length. Patel’s three-move combination brought the breakthrough. Crawley left an arm ball that just missed off stump, was beaten next by one that spun past his outside edge and done by the third – the straight one into the pads.
Ashwin landed the biggest punch, removing Root when he misjudged the length and was pinned lbw. English tentativeness was summed up by too many playing off the back foot.
Ollie Pope was bowled by Ashwin playing down the wrong line, and Ben Stokes is strokeless against spin right now. A straight four off Ashwin was his only aggressive shot. He went nowhere, unable to rotate the strike, and was lbw to a straight ball from Patel for six off 24 balls.
The tail started at eight with Archer. It was easy pickings. Archer was bowled by another arm ball, Leach nicked Ashwin to slip and Broad blocked it for 29 balls before top-edging a sweep. Patel finished with six for 38; a new Indian star has been born.
Broad had ball in hand with the lights barely casting shadows and soon England’s mood darkened when the third umpire was quick to judge a slip catch off Shubman Gill had been grounded by Stokes. It was the right call, but he could have scanned a few more close-ups first. England’s siege mentality was taking over. Archer bounced out Gill, caught off a top edge, but was largely ineffective, having not got his hands on the ball when it was hardest, and Leach dismissed Cheteshwar Pujara for the third time in five innings, another straight ball bringing success.
Root was further angered when the TV umpire was again quick to decide Rohit had a toe behind the line when he was stumped by Ben Foakes. Pope dropped Kohli at gully to add to the frustration, which came out when Leach, of all people, showed real emotion after Kohli chopped on. It had been a long day, and night.