"They are very good cricketers," said Sunil Gavaskar in a brief interaction in the media box during the Lord's Test match. This was in reaction to my observation that this team has done much better than any of us had any right to expect before the start of the tour. "Why do you say that? It is you media guys who create this impression and expectations." And he repeated: "They are all very good cricketers."
After the incredible finish at The Oval, one could say Gavaskar put it very aptly. This team, comprising too many players with unproven credentials, has exceeded all expectations and, arguably, set the team firmly on the path to be at the next WTC final in England in 2027.
Shattering All Doubts
Gavaskar's sweeping statement notwithstanding, it bears repeating where the Indian team started off before this series. Its captain had the experience of only five matches in the red ball format. Jaiswal was certain to open but who would partner him was not clear. KL Rahul was a man for all seasons, but would he open? Gill at No 4 was averaging in the mid-30s after five years in the team. Rishabh Pant would be No 5, but which Pant? Its only match-winning bowler, Bumrah, would only play three Tests. Siraj was a workhorse, but a match-winner?
Today, we have an opening pair who, between them, scored over 1,000 runs and four centuries in the series, though, admittedly, on flat wickets except at The Oval. Gill at No 4 with a record next to Bradman has ensured Kohli can rest peacefully in the record books. Pant has, arguably, evolved into the most dependable and consistent bat in the Indian team in recent times; and he clearly loves playing in England.
Jadeja, at 38, is getting compared to Sir Garfield Sobers. Washington Sundar can, arguably, contest Pant for the No. 5 batting slot as he exploits his height and spinning nous to turn the ball given a mildly helpful wicket. (In the same encounter, Gavaskar snorted: "These English complain about turning wickets in India when they can't play Sundar here!!", after Sundar's four wickets on the fourth day at Lord's).
Bumrah The 'GOAT'
What does one say about Bumrah? Scyld Berry, doyen among English cricket writers with a record of having watched over 500 Tests, recently came out with his list of the 30 best fast bowlers of all time. Predictably, the list was dominated by West Indians and Australians, with a fair sprinkling of South Africans, Englishmen and Pakistanis. There was only one Indian. But he was No. 1! Berry rates Jaspreet Bumrah as the 'GOAT'.
To quote Berry: "(Bumrah) Deserves to be recognised as the finest Test fast bowler, and the finest white-ball fast bowler, there has been. Nobody has delivered the ball closer to the batsman since the front-foot no-ball was introduced, thanks to his extended right elbow. By anecdotal evidence, no pace bowler has ever been so difficult to read as he flicks his fingers in addition to the snap of his wrist; and by statistical evidence, he is unsurpassed too as the only Test bowler of any kind to have taken more than 200 wickets at an average below 20 (19.60). And one more stat: he averages 17 in Australia and India. Bumrah has raised the bar as the all-format fast bowler."
Siraj The Match-Winner
When Bumrah is not playing, he is never far from the mind of the bowler of the series, Mohammed Siraj. For Siraj, the length that his 'Jassibhai' bowls is the gold standard. Siddharth Monga of Cricinfo, a sharp observer and an enviable pen, noted that while Siraj may have occasionally erred on his line, he made sure he stuck to the no greater than 5 m length that Jassibhai prescribes, in England. This tour, he also optimised his efficacy by consciously not bowling with the new ball because he can get a better swing when the lacquer has been worn off.
Siraj is no longer a member of the supporting cast; he deserves to be recognised as a match-winner. Here is how Monga described Siraj's bowling on the fifth morning at The Oval."You are now not only swinging the ball more than you have all series and seaming the old ball more than in all of the final innings, 182 overs into your work, you have the reserves to bowl your fastest spell of the series. Of the two balls you have bowled above 145 kph in this series, one is in this spell. Five of your 50 balls above 140 kph have come in this spell. The final yorker to end the game is 143."
It is ironic that India's two wins against England came in the Tests that Bumrah did not play. While Bumrah will be missed whenever he is not in the playing XI, it is now established that there is no reason to panic when he sits it out. Siraj not only steps up, self-admittedly, when Bumrah is absent; there is a promising supporting cast in Prasidh Krishna, who finally found the right length in England, and Akash Deep, who was plagued by niggles through the series after his stellar role in the Edgbaston win, but whose ability to swing the new ball is proven.
What To Look Out For Now
India is to play 13 more Tests in the fresh WCT season, which kicked off with this series for India. Of these, nine are to be at home: two each against South Africa and the West Indies at home this winter and five against Australia next winter. These Tests should create an opening for the country's best spinner, Kuldeep Yadav, to be the fifth bowler in the side, adding considerable spite to our bowling.
Looking ahead to the forthcoming two seasons of cricket at home, one can only hope that Gautam Gambhir has the courage to ask our curators to prepare good, firm wickets with bounce, carry and movement for the fast bowlers and turn as it wears under the sun. Too long have we been defensive and prepared rank turners for our spinners to revel in. (Last year, New Zealand wiped us 3-0 on our turners.) Let us go with the confidence that now, we have a proven all-round attack that can be as match-winning a combination as three pacers and two spinners as the other way around.
Selection Troubles
What this brave team's performance in England, culminating in India's narrowest ever Test victory at The Oval, has obfuscated are the prevailing problems in the team and the team selection. The No. 3 position still craves a Rahul Dravid. With one fifty and 200-plus runs in four Tests, Karun Nair has missed his opportunity to seal his place. Sai Sudharshan has undoubted class and ambition, but not the record, yet.
Much was made of the fact that at The Oval, the English attack was reduced to three bowlers following the injury to Chris Woakes. Less commented on was the fact that India effectively went into the Test with three bowlers, the three pacers. The only green top England offered in the series was at The Oval, and yet we went in with two spinners!! Of the 136.3 overs bowled by India in the match, only 10 were bowled by spinners. Siraj bowled 30.1 overs in England's second innings.
A selection based on cold logic would have played Shardul Thakur instead of either Jadeja or Sundar. Not only because you need four pacers on a green top, but also because Thakur's all-round performance was key to India's victory here in 2021. But can you imagine any Indian team management dropping one of the two match-savers and centurions from the previous match?
Yet, selection mistakes are bound to catch up with India's performance. Too long have we sought to bolster our batting with some kind of a vague hope regarding the fifth bowler to bowl the other team out. This cost us dearly in Australia too last winter, where Bumrah was over-bowled because we repeatedly went in one bowler short to play that extra all-rounder.
India's remaining overseas engagements in the 2025-27 WCT season are two two-Test series against Sri Lanka and New Zealand. Both teams are formidable opponents at home. But these matches are scheduled for the 2026-27 season. This Indian team has completed its transition from being an inexperienced team to one which, as captain Shubman Gill said, "does not believe in giving up". Indian cricket fans can be forgiven if they start plotting how to get the tickets for the 2027 WCT final at Lord's in the expectation that the Men in Blue will be one of the two teams playing.
(Ajay Kumar created the magazine 'Sportsworld' in the 1980s, which had Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi as the editor. He has followed the game since.)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author
