India forge ahead on “Republic Day”
India v England, 26th January 2024.
England 246 all out
India 421–7 (lead by 175 runs)
It was hard to disagree with ex England captain Eoin Morgan this morning as he excitedly exclaimed “You will not regret setting your alarm” and that today’s opening session of play would be “box office” but then again, it was 3.30am on a cold and frosty Friday morning and in the words of my favourite band Radiohead I think I’ve got the bends from rising too early, and are England “really sinking this low”? The answers to these rhetorical questions are, in reverse order, yes, yes it was, and no I didn’t even though India were magnificent as they ground England into the cricketing dirt to take an almost unbeatable lead with three full days of play still scheduled.
Naturally the alarm is set for 3.30am tomorrow as quite simply England need to take the final 3 Indian wickets as quickly as possible before their lead climbs above 200 runs and beyond, and they have to dislodge Ravi Jadeja and take the bat from his hand before resisting everything the highly skilled spin bowler has to offer in tandem with his spin bowling partners Ravi Ashwin and Axar Patel on a wearing wicket that is turning, getting lower and slower and perfect for their mesmeric art of spin bowling.
Now that’s box office!
Talking of which, here are today’s three sessions of play:
Act One: A “Golden Arm” and a very costly cricketing “life”
Starting day 2 on 119–1 and 127 runs behind England’s 1st innings total, a huge celebratory bank holiday crowd inside the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium welcomed yesterday’s batting hero Yashasvi Jaiswal back to the wicket and on 76 not out, stood just 24 runs from a Test Match century. The 22 year old from Suriyawan belted the day’s second delivery from Joe Root for a boundary 4 as seemingly a statement of intent before trying to repeat the trick two deliveries later, only to see England’s part-time spin bowler and cricketing “Golden Arm” snaffle a high and sharp return catch to dismiss the young batsman “Caught and Bowled” for a brilliantly made 80.
It was quite the start to the day and an even more impressive catch, the day’s first over had still yet to be completed, there was still another box office moment on the horizon, and a costly cricketing “life” afforded to incoming batsman KL Rahul that has undoubtedly changed the course of this Test Match.
Root’s final delivery of the day’s first over pitched around off stump before spinning just enough to snag the outside edge of Rahul’s bat with the resulting sharp catching chance flying past the gloves of England wicket-keeper Ben Foakes. The post game analysis and podcasts I’ve listened to suggest it was a catchable chance and not difficult, but I beg to differ. It was quick, sharp and difficult, but a chance nonetheless. Regardless, Rahul had received a cricketing “life” and when he was finally dismissed later in the afternoon 86 costly runs had been added to his team’s total and England were in deep, deep trouble.
As ever that’s getting ahead of ourselves and before this, Rahul accumulated 40 runs by the mid-session break for drinks, a half century from just 72 balls received and remained not out at the Lunch Break on 55 with his team now only trailing England by 24 runs, on a total of 222–3 and with 7 wickets still in hand. Whilst England grabbed the prized wicket of Shubman Gill for 23, Rahul and new batting partner Shreyas Iyer continued to pile on the runs in an opening session of 103 runs to close in on an England team only really noteworthy for the first Test Match wicket for debutant Tom Hartley who snagged Gill mid-session.
Act Two: Rahul and Jadeja take Rehan Ahmed “downtown”
The wonderful world of the grandest of all games is awash in its very own vernacular and phrases and I use them as often as I can. One I rarely use though is “downtown” meaning a batsman has “danced”, “waltzed” or more simply run down the wicket and crashed a bowler straight or near straight back past him and towering into the stands for a boundary 6. Although India lost the wicket of Shreyas Iyer immediately after the Lunch Break, both KL Rahul and Ravi Jadeja decided to break the temporary stranglehold on runs held by England by clubbing spin bowlers Tom Hartley and particularly Rehan Ahmed for repeated huge 6’s into an adoring crowd. Thus the minor lead held by England at Lunch disappeared and although KL Rahul was finally out, and to a dreadful “long hop” of a delivery that presented Rehan Ahmed a semblance of revenge as well as both an easy catch and a second Test Match wicket for Tom Hartley, Ravi Jadeja continued in his stead to end the session on 45 not out, India 309–5, and an already imposing 1st innings lead of 63 runs with still 5 wickets in hand.
Act Three: India continue to pile on the misery
The day’s final session was notable for coming full circle and yet another “life”, this time afforded Ravi Jadeja who overturned an incorrect LBW umpiring decision when 49 not out, a fully deserved second wicket for England’s “Golden Arm” of Joe Root as he dismissed wicket-keeper batsman Srikar Bharat for 41, and yet more batting partnerships as India continued to pile on the runs. 112 runs were scored in the session as aside from the comical run out of Ravi Ashwin for just 1, Jadeja partnered Bharat for another 50 runs before ending a dominating day with the bat with his spin bowling partner Axar Patel in sharing an unbeaten stand of 62. Patel ended the day 35 not out and accompanied his senior partner Jadeja as he reached his half century to an enormous roar from the Hyderabad crowd and from just 84 balls received, before ending the day to return tomorrow morning 81 not out.
The ultra positive perspective is England may wrap up the Indian batting “tail” in mere minutes and be a maximum 200 runs adrift on 1st innings.
The more negative outlook?
Ravi Jadeja is just 19 runs from a Test Match century.
Axar Patel is just 15 runs from a Test Match half-century.
And India will no doubt wish to bat on for as long as possible, gain as big a 1st innings lead as possible, and negate any reason whatsoever for batting again on a wearing wicket ripe for the bowling expertise of Jadeja, Patel and their spin bowling partner, Ravi Ashwin.
Frankly, England have their backs to the wall.
Thanks for reading. My archives are awash in articles other than the grand old game of cricket so please feel free to take the tour and dive in! I always reciprocate a follow or a subscription as I’m a gentleman.
Until then, see you on the other side.
The Indian equivalent of Canada Day (Jul. 1). I get it now.
Republic Day? What is that? (Asked the confused Canadian).