Let's face it. Those who were hell bent on criticising Shubman Gill and this young Indian Test cricket team after the Leeds Test loss are just trigger-happy folk. Cricket is a religion in India, agreed. But that does not call for criticism and over-the-top negative critical analysis after every loss. In every sporting contest, there has to be a winner and a loser. Simple.
The flip side of that coin is that it's extremely convenient for those who supported the Indian team and their new skipper, asking for patience and a longer rope to now go absolutely gaga over the team, using all manner of superlatives to praise the win at Edgbaston – which happens to be the first time a visiting Indian team has won a Test at the venue. So, let's not do that. Let's just stick to the facts and give credit where credit is due.
India could have, or rather should have, won the first Test at Leeds. It was perhaps the hope that was generated amongst Indian cricket fans, only to be subsequently rather rudely dashed, that led to many criticising the new captain and the team. But the big question after that loss was – would Team India be able to learn from their mistakes, while not letting go of what makes them unique? And the answer to that question, after the second Test, is a resounding ‘yes'. And that is an encouraging sign. Let us not forget that this is the team which will be representing India in Test cricket for quite some time to come. Barring Ravindra Jadeja, every other member of the Indian squad is under 34 years of age. So, this is the team which needs to continue to improve and iron out the chinks in their armour. This is the team which will aim to return to the top of the ICC Test team rankings and the team which will aim to win India's first World Test Championship title. In other words, this is the team we need to get behind - in victory and in defeat. And going by what we saw at Edgbaston, this team might just be beginning to peak.
Playing a Test series in foreign conditions is never easy. Subcontinental teams struggle in SENA (South Africa, New Zealand, England and Australia) countries, while SENA teams struggle against trademark spin, etc., in subcontinental conditions. India, for instance, haven't won a Test series in England since 2007. Rahul Dravid was the Indian captain at that time. In other words, even the likes of MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli (though at three, Virat won the maximum number of Tests on English soil by an Indian captain) couldn't deliver a series win in England, as captains. That might make some who criticised Shubman after the loss in the first Test reconsider. But, hold on. Going by everything we have seen in the first two Tests, is there a possibility of India really pushing England hard? Yes. Is there a possibility of India winning the series? Maybe. Remember, this is a 5-Test series. And that means both teams will have ample room and space to go back to the drawing board if needed and come out with different plans and strategies to try and bounce back - exactly what India did in the second Test after losing the first. There's no doubt that the momentum is with the visitors, and it's there in spades. The win at Edgbaston was a huge shot in the arm for Shubman and co. and a massive psychological blow for the English. Edgbaston had been a bastion for the hosts against India for decades (England hold a 7-1 win-loss record vs India at this venue) and now that bastion has fallen. Also, the margin of victory. India didn't just beat England in the second Test, they absolutely thrashed them. The 336-run win is India's biggest away win, by runs, ever.
There's a lot that the English think-tank will definitely be wary of after their crushing loss in Birmingham. Their bowling attack - which is missing fast bowlers like Jofra Archer (who might come back for the third Test at Lord's), Olly Stone, Gus Atkinson and Mark Wood, couldn't stop Team India from making as many as 1014 runs in the match - the first time that an Indian team has crossed 1000 aggregate runs in a Test match. They couldn't stop Shubman Gill from becoming the first player in Test cricket history to score a 250+ and a 150+ in the same Test match. They couldn't stop India's first-choice Test wicket-keeper, Rishabh Pant, from getting some much-needed confidence after a well below-par IPL outing. They couldn't stop Ravindra Jadeja from rediscovering his batting mojo at a very crucial juncture for the Indian team. And most importantly (from a bowling point of view), they couldn't take all 20 Indian wickets in the match.
The batting, on what was a flat pitch, did see the likes of Harry Brook (158) and Jamie Smith (184*- the highest score by an England wicket-keeper in Test cricket) notch up centuries in the first innings, but there were also as many as six ducks in that same innings – the maximum zero scores in an innings for the English ever and only the second time that Indian bowlers dismissed 6 batters for ducks in Test match cricket. The first instance was almost thirty years ago – against South Africa, in Ahmedabad, in 1996-97. There was not a single centurion in the England second innings, with the hosts being set an impossible 608 run target by the marauding Indian batters. There were three scores in the 20s and two in the 30s in that inning. Smith's 88 was the highest score and a bowler playing only his eighth Test match and just his third in foreign conditions ran through their batting line-up like a hot knife through butter.
And that is what Brendon McCullum, Ben Stokes and the rest of the England team management will be most rattled by. India managed to take all 20 England wickets in the match and notch up a gigantic win without the services of their bowling trump-card – Jasprit Bumrah. And the man who replaced India's premier fast bowler who is probably the only bowler in world cricket right now who could well be ‘unplayable' in most conditions, finished with match figures of 10/187 – the best figures ever by an Indian bowler in a men's Test in England. All 10 English wickets in their first innings were taken between Akash Deep (4/88) and Mohammed Siraj (6/70). Akash then absolutely crushed the English resistance in the second innings with figures of 6/99. The way he produced absolute snorters on a flat pitch – angling the ball into batters, and displayed almost Glenn McGrath-like discipline in hitting his lengths, along with his pace variations, was a sight to behold. And this - India's overall performance with the ball, without Bumrah in the mix - is something that would have sent shockwaves through the England dressing room.
‘Bazball' Just Didn't Work
It's not a surprise to hear calls for Archer to be included in the playing XI for the third Test. England's spin bowling coach, Jeetan Patel, recently told the media that Archer, who hasn't played Test cricket since February 2021 (also against India, in Ahmedabad), has been bowling full-tilt in the nets and that 27-year-old pacer, Angus (Gus) Atkinson, also might be back at full fitness. English fast bowling legend, James Anderson, has asked England to ‘take a risk' and play Archer at Lord's, even if he is not fully fit. Nasser Hussain has been quoted as saying something very similar. These are more signs that the English are rattled.
But can you really blame them? The pitches are flat, a few key bowlers are missing, the tail might or might not wag when needed and there's an opponent who is supremely high on confidence right now – not only because of the way they won the second Test, but because it's common knowledge that the scoreline, if a few things had gone India's way in Leeds, could well have read 2-0 to India right now. And with three Tests left to play, there's that man, Bumrah – the one the opposition is always most wary of - ready to play two more.
There's no room for fear, for overt respect for reputation in modern-day cricket. And every member of this young Team India, after tasting a sweet historic victory at Edgbaston, will really believe in their gut that this England team can be humbled at home.
(The author is a former sports editor and primetime sports news anchor. He is currently a columnist, features writer and stage actor)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author
