‘I could change my action due to better fitness’

ON THE eve of the final Test of the long fivematch series that they had already lost, England captain Ben Stokes had tried his best, not to sound like someone who wanted the ordeal to end and head home. "It's been a long tour. It's a great ground to have one last big push. We have a lot of fans coming here," he had said.

About 24 hours later that "one last big push" was conspicuous by its absence. Lacking in intensity and drive to stay at the crease or pursue the team's bold Bazballing goals, England batsmen seemed to be in a hurry to be on the flight back home, already thinking of last-minute gifts to pick for the family.

In a little over two sessions, England were all out for 218, with 8 of their batsmen facing less than 50 balls. At stumps, India, at 135/1, seemed all set to take a big lead and further decorate their series triumph. With England's spiritless batting following their listless bowling, going purely by the action on field on Day 1, this doesn't seem to be a Test that will go the distance. India seem to have taken the first step to change 3-1 to 4-1.

The tour that had started with the promise of England giving the world a new code to buck the trend of India's home domination might have a tame end.

Same old story

But for opener Zak Crawley's inning of 79, there was a sameness to the fall of England wickets. In a long five-match series, the visiting team’s batting approach and their dismissals have become predictable. Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes - the biggest brand Bazball ambassador - got out doing what they have done so regularly since the first Test at Hyderabad in the last week of January.

Early in the morning, though, it seemed like England were pressing for their "big push." The Duckett-crawley opening partnership seemed to be shaping well. They were justifying their captain's decision to bat first. But for the occasional cloudy phases, the sun was out. In the pavilion the Barmy Army was singing Crawley songs. Even a DJ at the stadium would do the English a favour and play UB 40. Crawley wasn't taking chances, he would mostly play with the straight bat, Duckett was the more adventurous playing square.

The introduction of Ashwin didn't change the tempo of the game. The introduction of wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav though, would give India the breakthrough. Duckett didn't wait to check the effectiveness of Kuldeep on the track. He did what he always does. The England opener threw his hands at a ball that was pitched far from him. He mis-timed the drive but Shubman Gill, running back from cover, didn't misjudge a very difficult catch. Seen that before.

A step ahead

At the end of the game, Kuldeep hinted how the Indian team has been second guessing the tactics of the English batsmen and succeeding. He was talking about the wicket of Ollie Pope. "After he has played a few dot balls, he is sure to rush out," he said. Pope did exactly that and Kuldeep would drop the ball short to fox him.

As soon as Bairstow was at the crease, there was a buzz among Indian fielders. They knew his game plan all too well. There was no surprise, in 29 balls he faced, he scored 2 fours and 2 sixes.

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Toss: England won, chose to bat

He wasn't bothered about the extra turn Kuldeep was getting, he wasn't changing his plans. Well aware that Bairstow would aim for the leg-side slog, Kuldeep would bowl a faster googly that would take the edge of the bat and settle into the hands of the wicket-keeper. Seen that before. Stokes didn't last long. His struggles against the spinner continued. Like so many times before, he once again failed to judge the length of the ball.

To go forward or fall back? He couldn't decide that in time. Stokes had tried to play him on the back foot and work the ball to the leg. But as Kuldeep mixed his length, Stokes couldn't overcome his dilemma. He did take the review but it was futile. Seen that before.

This was the third wrong DRS call that England had taken in successive overs. Before Stokes, Joe Root and Bairstow too had asked for a review even when there was hardly anyone on the field who would have thought that the ball was missing the stumps.

In the 30 overs that India got to bat, there was just one blip. Going by the theme of the day, opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, the highest scorer of this series, too would get out in an all-too familiar fashion.

His opening partner and captain Rohit Sharma would continue to talk to him. For every loose shot he played, Rohit would ask him to be more circumspect. He made a 58ball 57 that had 3 sixes and 5 fours and then threw it away.

Like Pope, he too had a rush of blood. He danced down the track to Shoaib Bashir and was out stumped. It wasn't the first time, Jaiswal had missed his charge to a bowler.

Final visual of the day as the light faded, was coach Rahul Dravid on the pitch checking for patches. Seen it before.

ALL SUPREME bowlers, besides their skills, have great game awareness. Knowing which ball to bowl when. Lunch was just a few balls away. Kuldeep Yadav had bowled 11 balls to Ollie Pope. Apart from one that skidded past his bat early on, the England No. 3 had dealt with him reasonably comfortably. But two balls before the wicket-ball, he sensed Pope’s design. Pope was looking to use his feet.

Kuldeep didn’t immediately shorten his length. But he was ready, for he knew Pope loves to sashay down the track. “He is the kind of a player who doesn’t like to stay in the crease,” Kuldeep revealed his mindset in the post-day press conference.

If the batsman conveyed his intent, Kuldeep knew what to unleash. The floated googly, that would beat him with drop as

At the end of the game, Kuldeep hinted how the Indian team has been second guessing the tactics of the English batsmen and succeeding.

well as turn. And so it turned out to be. Wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel would pass on the information. Perhaps, Kuldeep knew it too. Pope stepped out, Kuldeep spotted it, shortened his length, reduced the speed on the ball, beat him in length, drop and turn, making Pope resemble a novice. “He stepped out a bit early, so I changed my mind and bowled the variation. It worked,” he explained.

In this series, Kuldeep has looked as masterful as he has ever been. The biggest difference has been his control over length, he said. “As a spinner, you focus on the length. At times, you change plans as per conditions. If you are getting drift, you have to think about the line too. Speed also matters. If you bowl at a certain speed and change your pace, it gets difficult for the batters,” he revealed.

Apart from his action — he now runs in a bit straighter and there is more energy through the crease — he worked incredibly hardonhisfitness,especiallyafterasurgeryon his knee in 2021. “I have worked a lot on my fitness in the last 18 months. I have been able to make certain changes in my bowling because of improved fitness. I am doing specific things for my fitness which is allowing me to bowl long spells. At Rajkot (12 overs in the first innings) and Ranchi (14 overs in the second innings) also, I bowled long spells,” he elaborated. Either side of lunch on Thursday, he bowled 15 overs of pure guile and skill here.

Tinkering with his action was not easy. “In the beginning, it was very challenging. I had changed my action, it took six to eight months to find that rhythm,” he recollected. Now, he can make minor adjustments to his action and still be as effective. Like in Ranchi, because the surface was slow, he was slightly quicker through his action. “I practise those things regularly,” he said.

Returning to the Test fold was no easy task, as Axar Patel became a regular in his absence. But once Kuldeep got a break, he seized it. The more he has played, the more deceptive he has looked. “If you play regularly, you get more confident about your bowling. Game awareness also comes with it. It is important to keep playing regularly as it makes your bowling sharp.”

If he bowls as deceptively as he had in this series, he could make up for his years in the wilderness. If he ever requires a dose of inspiration, he could rewatch the Pope dismissal.

I have worked a lot on my fitness in the last 18 months. I am doing specific things on my fitness which is allowing me to bowl long spells.”

LEFT-ARM WRIST SPINNER