Swashbuckling revival turns Tables on Stokes
One-paced attack hammered by Pant’s 89-ball hundred India rescued by stand of 222 after slumping to 98 for five
Ben Stokes could not bring himself to look at England wicketkeeper Sam Billings as the ball flew through fine leg for four byes.
Stokes had just bowled a halftracker so off course Billings would have needed arms the length of rowing blades to stop it as England reeled, discombobulated by a counter-attacking Rishabh Pant turning the guns on them for a change.
It was soon followed by four overthrows by Zak Crawley and Pant hitting a one-handed six off Jack Leach in an over that cost 22 runs.
From 98 for five, after being sent in under heavy cloud cover, Pant had rescued India with a show-stopping hundred off 89 balls that made you wonder if it was Jonny Bairstow in disguise. England were flat and ragged, the attack one-paced too without a bit more zip of someone such as Jamie Overton, as India reached 338 for seven with Pant fuelling them at 4.6 an over.
With one hand or two hands on the bat, it did not matter, Pant still managed to hit sixes off Leach, who bowled at nearly eight an over and must have felt like he was in Brisbane, not Birmingham. Matty Potts was England’s most dangerous seamer until Pant got after him too, messing his figures.
For too long England persevered with Leach to left-hander Pant, in the hope he would give it away. Eventually it was Joe Root, turning the ball away from the bat, who broke through, Pant swinging hard at a wider ball that flew to slip.
By then Pant had made 146 off 111 balls with 19 fours and four sixes and had another 19 to score four more to set a record for the fastest 150 against England. His innovative batting would be so suited for this England side, but there was control too. He did land flat on his back a couple of times, giving everything to the shot, but he played mainly orthodox strokes until he was well set and tried to reverse scoop James Anderson. His defence was very solid, and temperament mature.
He picked the right balls to attack and chose his spots around the ground. This was a calculated counterpunch but intent was signalled by his first ball from Anderson, which he advanced down the pitch towards just as Stokes had done to New Zealand. This was gutsy too. He tweaked a hamstring at one stage and needed treatment on a hand injury. Jadeja sat back and mainly watched from the other end, Pant scoring 133 of their 222 stand for the sixth wicket off 239 balls.
Stokes was plagued by no balls, bowling 10 in the day, but one extra ball at Shardul Thakur brought a second late wicket, a bouncer taking the glove.
The 10.30am start was flagged up by Warwickshire to ticket buyers several weeks ago, but there were still many empty seats for the start of play. There was a hollow feeling going into this Test. It felt like picking up a novel you have previously given up on, but the attacking nature of both sides means it will take on a character of its own, another thriller is forming.
Stokes bowled first, not just because England like chasing now as if Test cricket is played with a white ball but because it was overcast and damp. Shubman Gill looked good for half an hour but was stuck on the crease, pushing at a ball a touch wider from Anderson, Zak Crawley taking a regulation slip catch. Anderson dragged back his length, realising the ball was not swinging, but when he sensed a bit more movement through the air, pitched it up. Cheteshwar Pujara had been watchful, but the edge when it came was off a beauty from Anderson. A two-hour rain break gave Hanuma Vihari plenty of time to work out why he had been groping against the moving ball.
A drop by Crawley off Potts shortly after the restart gave him a chance to regroup, but it was not a costly miss, Potts pitching up and
hitting the knee roll for a plumb lbw. The aura around Virat Kohli has dimmed. He has not scored a hundred since 2019, and last year was drowning in balls outside off stump in England, not sure what to play or leave. Potts has a confidence beyond
his years and the fast bowler’s temperament in that he is not a respecter of reputations.
Three times he removed Kane Williamson, now it was Kohli’s turn. He was late on a leave and bowled off the inside edge.
Shreyas Iyer fiddled at one down the leg side off Anderson, Billings taking the best catch of his Test career to date, flying to his left to cling on.
But this followed the summer’s script, of early top-order wickets and a lower-order stand. Root thought he might have caught Jadeja at slip, but the close up replay ended hopes. Pant did not offer a chance. He was 50 off 51 balls, and needed only 38 more for his hundred,
motoring as Leach came on and Stokes kept the fields up.
Pant went into the nineties with a four over wide mid-on off Leach and was not hanging around. The India coach Rahul Dravid, so reserved and calm, punched the air when he made his hundred; the new way of playing Test cricket is infecting even the coolest of heads.