5 min readVisakhapatnamFeb 3, 2024 04:00 PM IST
First published on: Feb 2, 2024 at 08:31 PM IST
Clear skies, bright sunshine, and a flat pitch. An opposition bowling attack that had three inexperienced spinners with just three Tests between them and an ageing fast bowler. For Indian captain Rohit Sharma it was a no-brainer to bat first after winning the toss. At stumps India had scored 336 runs, a laudable effort. But the loss of six wickets would make the home team wonder if the second Test would unfold like the first at Hyderabad which they lost by 28 runs.
By every means, this pitch was a throwback to an earlier era. Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal and even Rohit Sharma don’t quite have experience of playing on a surface at home that is full of runs. With such opportunities being rare in the World Test Championship cycle, they ought to have been grabbed by both hands.
If there is one team that would be happy with where they stand, it would definitely be England as despite James Anderson picking up only one wicket, their inexperienced spinners managed to take five between them, with the pitch playing no part in any of those.
Amidst all the scenes of batsmen perishing with their heads hanging down, Jaiswal stood tall with an unbeaten 179 off 257 deliveries. It was an innings through which he showed the rest of his teammates what they could have done on this surface with a bit of patience.
On an old-fashioned track, this was a new-age opener displaying the right sort of intent and being courageous when it came to bringing out aggressive shots. India has seen more graceful left-handers, but none with the thumping power of Jaiswal, who even hit the off-spin of Joe Root over extra-cover fence for a six. It was a shot that was manufactured out of nowhere. And defined what an all-format opener offers these days in Test cricket on second session of Day 1.
If Jaiswal’s innings was all about application and how to construct an innings, the same cannot be said of the rest. Skipper Rohit, who opened a new chapter in his Test career as an opener at the same venue in 2019 by scoring a century, on Friday casually flicked one that turned from Shoaib Bashir to the leg-slip fielder for his first Test wicket. Having spent 40 deliveries patiently, during which time he didn’t show any signs of going for a boundary, the first mistake that Rohit did was not attack the debutant straightaway.
Up next was Gill, who played every bit like a batsman whose spot was under threat. Despite showing signs of revival in the couple of net sessions before the Test, he began confidently to the spinners, finding the much needed boundaries. But as Anderson came back, it was going to be a test of mettle. Instead of seeing through the spell, like Jaiswal did through the day, Gill casually hung his bat forward and Anderson had him for the fifth time in Tests by getting to nick one behind.
After Gill, in came Shreyas, another batsman in the line-up who is in dire need of runs. A batsman with natural flair and attacking game against spinners, he too bided his time, spending 59 deliveries in the middle. Convincing at times and unconvincing for a major part when England tested him with short deliveries – even Root sent one down – Shreyas was a bit unlucky. As Tom Hartley bowled one short and offered width, Shreyas aligned himself to cut, but only to feather it to the wicketkeeper.
Among all of them, debutant Rajat Patidar looked the most promising in the middle. The experience of playing 55 first-class matches showed in him, as not once was he rushed into a shot. He looks every bit made for the top-level. There wasn’t much foot movement, especially against Anderson, but he seldom played away from the body. Even on the ball he was dismissed, he defended well, but only to be undone by the top-spin that rolled on to the stumps.
Thereafter, Axar Patel and KS Bharat too would contribute to the list of tame dismissals, both perishing by playing cut shots that went straight to the backward point fielder. If three batsmen had got dismissed in the 80s at Hyderabad, on an even better track here that India have not even managed to stitch a 100-run partnership so far shows how deep-rooted their troubles are with the batting line-up. Having opted for a flat surface that has slow turn on offer, India should have aimed to bat once and big, especially with their approach, which was safety first. For them to be in the game, they need the pitch to undergo wear and tear. But with just four more wickets in hand, they have a real task in their hands as Bazball could be to the fore on Day 2, unless they pull up their socks.
Visakhapatnam: India's captain Rohit Sharma walks off the ground after his dismissal during the first day of the second Test cricket match between India and England, at Dr Y S Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam, Friday, Feb. 2, 2024. (PTI Photo/R Senthilkumar) 
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