The First Test result may say ‘Drawn’ but I reckon England will claim the upper hand in readiness for the Second. Before the start I stuck my neck out for a 2-2 series score and I see nothing to make me change my mind.
When Moeen Ali and Ben Stokes strode back to the pavilion after day one at 311-4, all those fears of a ‘brownwash’ evaporated completely. I was shocked to read that no visiting Test batsman had reached three figures for three years. By the time England were eventually bowled out for 537, no fewer than three men had made hundreds!
Joe Root, Ali and Stokes knuckled down to compile big scores, although an embarrassment of dropped catches definitely helped. In the second innings, Alastair Cook made it four centuries but it was the man who fell 18 short who made most headlines.
Haseeb Hameed came close to becoming the youngest England centurion for donkeys’ years and suddenly he’s being touted as the opening partner for Cook we’ve been waiting for. Let’s not get too carried away just yet! I was apprehensive about the 19 year-old Lancastrian’s chances. Yes, he enjoyed a reasonably successful summer. However, after picking up a couple of hundreds in the August Roses encounter, his performances tailed off somewhat. Nevertheless, he has few serious competitors and selectors saw a fine technique against spin. Hats off to him; he took his chance well.
As usual, England raided the Oval dressing room, picking a Surrey opener, too. However, they played Zafar Ansari at ten, just ahead of Stuart Broad in his 100th Test match. Yet it was Adil Rashid who proved the most successful bowler, despite Chris Woakes’ typically tight spells and Moeen’s unusual economy.
In the end, they needed just four more wickets to turn a certain draw into an unlikely victory. However, India played their part in an excellent game of cricket. Vijay and Pujara, himself in a rich vein of form this autumn, also struck decent hundreds in the first innings to keep the deficit below 50. Who knows what might have happened had Virat Kohli not misjudged his back foot position while executing a pull, and hit his own wicket?
There was no obvious danger from the Indian bowlers, Yadav in particular, but Ashwin, Mishra and Jadeja will shine again before the year is out. Yes, both sides went for a triple-spin option and that’s probably how India will continue. I suspect the same won’t be true of England once Jimmy Anderson returns from injury, probably at Mohali.
Anyway, things are nicely set up for Visakhapatnam over on the east coast. If England’s batsmen demonstrate the same application and patience, they will not be bowled out twice, so India have a real job on their hands to get back to their winning ways.
