England trust experience to protect proud home record
FOR the fourth of the five courses in this summer’s cricket banquet that is England’s Test series against India, a fresh item is going to be served on the menu, rarer than caviar and even later in the season than grouse: some decent batting.
In the five Tests so far this summer, no side – not England, not India, not Pakistan – have reached 400 (England have come closest with their 396 for seven declared against India at Lord’s), and half of the totals have been below 200.
Two centuries have been scored by Virat Kohli, and one each by Chris Woakes, who is not going to do that again because he has work to do against bouncers besides the fact that he is not playing here, and Jos Buttler.
But the Ageas Bowl pitch suggests that batting will be back on the menu as the ball comes through at an even height; that spectators, at last, will not have to be poised on the edge of their seats; that an opening batsman from England or India will reach 50 for the first time in this series (Shikhar Dhawan’s 44 in the second innings at Trent Bridge is the highest so far); that there will be more than one substantial partnership by each side, the rate so far this summer; and the game will go into day five, and might even be a draw.
JUNCTURE
At this critical juncture England are falling back on their senior players to protect their proud record of not having lost a home series since 2014, and rightly so.
The return of Moeen Ali at the expense of Ollie Pope means that – England will have only one rookie in their top seven, Keaton Jennings – and he has been jettisoned as a slip fielder after dropping two chances at Trent Bridge.
England’s slip cordon will consist of Alastair Cook at first, Joe Root back at second, and Ben Stokes press-ganged as third – in spite of his being, in the words of head coach Trevor Bayliss, a “very reluctant slip fielder”.
Stokes would prefer to run around in the covers but following India’s brilliant comeback in the third Test, as they threaten to become only the second team ever to win a Test series after being 2-0 down, England’s senior players have to man the pumps.
“We need to start taking chances,” Root said about his return to the slips after largely patrolling at mid-off since the Christchurch Test in April.
“It’s been tough for the guys in there and we are the most experienced, we have fielded there a lot before. The hardest thing to get your head around in Test cricket is dealing with when you’ve dropped one. It’s easier to ask experienced guys who have done that a lot more to handle it better.” (© Daily Telegraph, London) England v India, Live
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