Batsmen must expand their range of shots to master spin
Hforget complaints about the pitch, England’s reliance on the sweep is proving to be their biggest downfall
Nothing in the laws of cricket says the pitch should be flat for batsmen. Every pitch in India spins. It is just a question of when and how much it turns. Now the challenge for England is to look at their own batting and stop being so one-dimensional. If they do that they can still win against India, because there is not much to choose between these two teams.
What strikes me is that too many England batsmen are conditioned to play the sweep as soon as it turns, as if they think that is the only stroke to attempt. Their focus is so narrow that they miss out on other possible scoring shots.
I understand the sweep can play havoc with a spin bowler’s length and it can put him on the back foot, but the sweep should only be part of your repertoire, not all of it.
The great thing about Indian pitches is that they are not fast. You have time to adjust and pick your shots. Look at how Virat Kohli batted in the second innings when the pitch was bad. He used the odd sweep shot, but stuck to the basics and batted superbly.
Kohli defended with determination, his footwork was superb and at all times he was careful and watchful. His judgment of length was exceptional and his shotplaying execution equally impressive. He showed that it is possible to bat properly.
England sweep because they see the ball turn and jump and think they may as well look to score as many runs as possible before they get a ball with their name on it. Kohli did not play like that. When he was bowled by Moeen Ali in the first innings, he was playing towards cover to a ball spinning back, so he gated himself. He made sure that did not happen again by moving to off and middle stump so he could play straighter with the full face of the bat, staying back as much as possible and playing with the turn.
But too many of ours played against the spin, which is a recipe for disaster. It is how Rory Burns and Dom Sibley got out. They both have looping back swings, but I never think it matters where the bat goes on the back-lift, it is about how it comes down. Both of them work the bat across the line to midwicket. When you do that against the spin it is so dangerous, because you are only playing with half a bat.
Ben Stokes is going to have to spend the next week working out a plan to face Ravichandran Ashwin. When the ball turns, off-spin is always more difficult for lefthanders, because they have the extra problem of the bowlers’ footmarks. But Stokes has to work out something better than just waiting for the sweep, because against a good bowler like Ashwin he could be waiting a long time.
Ashwin is not going to give him many without him taking a big risk, so he must find other ways to score.
It is almost as if Stokes gets stuck, frozen in the headlights. He has to find a way to get a single, to rotate the strike. It does not have to be a big four or six. It is about finding a way to get off strike so he is not just waiting for the unplayable ball that gets him out.
I am glad England did not whinge about the pitch, because it was not the only reason they lost. Yes, they had a difficult pitch to deal with, but Burns missed a straight ball in the first innings. Ishant Sharma bowled two that left him with the new conker and then one that went straight on and Burns missed it. The pitch was not to blame for that.
In the first innings, Joe Root was out sweeping by getting a top edge. That was not the pitch. Sibley was caught at short leg sweeping, the ball hit his pad then the back of his bat and ballooned up for an easy catch. Sibley could say he was unlucky, but you could also say he missed the ball and should have hit it.
Ollie Pope gloved his first ball from Mohammed Siraj down the leg side to the keeper. He did not need to play it at all.
In the second innings, Dan Lawrence ran down the pitch in desperation before Ashwin released the ball and got himself easily stumped. Pope and Ben Foakes swept the ball straight to fielders.
We can all make excuses for getting out, but it is more helpful if players are honest with themselves.
We know the toss is going to be important in India, but we have to bat better. Mentally find a Plan B and C instead of relying on the sweep and reverse-sweep shot.
Having James Anderson and Jofra Archer back for the day-night Test will be big for England. My concern is that Archer played one Test and was injured again. He did not bowl an excessive amount of overs and I hope he is not going to be an injury-prone bowler.
He came to prominence in one-day and Twenty20 cricket. Bowling four overs in T20, 10 in 50 overs, is not so difficult. When you start playing Test matches, and these days they come thick and fast, it is physically much harder on the body. He is a special talent, but unless he stays fit and healthy he is no use to himself or England.
The danger is that when England lose, some fans and former players call the pitch a disgrace and it sounds like sour grapes. We should take it on the chin as good sportsmen. I hope our players do not let it get in their heads and start believing the Indian players asked for a raging spinning pitch. Maybe the groundsman got it wrong in his preparation. I am sure he wanted the pitch to turn, but not quite as quickly as it did. Preparing pitches is not an exact science and sometimes it will work in our favour. It evens out over time.