Here's How Kohli, Pujara And Ashwin Have Hidden India's Weakness In Tests
Had it not been for them, India's Test frailties were left exposed.
The superlative form of captain Virat Kohli and all-rounder R Ashwin has done well to conceal a harsh truth in the ongoing series against England: there are quite a few non-performing assets in Team India. Now that the third Test is all set to begin on Saturday at Mohali, let us examine every individual＊s performance closely.
BCCL
In the two Tests played so far, only Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara have shown consistency and class as batters. Pujara scored a hundred apiece in both innings. But Kohli has been far more influential. The Indian captain played a masterly, match-saving 49 not out on an unruly fifth-day pitch in Rajkot. With this innings, Kohli established himself as the team＊s finest Test batsman too 每 a fact further underlined by his masterly 167 and 89 in Vizag. But for the sensational Ben Stokes grab in the slips, which might well turn out to be the most spectacular catch of the series, the Delhi batter might have gone on to score a century in both innings.
But apart from the two, Indian top five has been shaky. After a modest series against New Zealand (average 31 in three Tests), Murali Vijay scored a patient yet impressive century in the first innings at Rajkot. However, he has failed in the next three innings producing 31, 20 and 3. Undeniably, Vijay is the classiest opener in India at the moment but the Chennai opener has revealed a weakness against short-pitched stuff 每 and life isn＊t going to be easy for him against strong pace attacks on bouncy tracks.
BCCL
However, it isn＊t Vijay but his constantly-changing partner that continues to be India＊s major top-order ache. Shikhar Dhawan is gone but his replacements haven＊t filled in the breach properly. Gautam Gambhir (29 and 0) failed to make a successful comeback and has been dropped. And KL Rahul (0 and 10) is yet to show that he is back at his best after the injury lay-off. In the last five Tests, India＊s highest first wicket-partnership is 68 runs. Ajinkya Rahane, who generally fails in the first Test of a series, has also failed to deliver in the second. His average is 15.75 in this series.
BCCL
What has kept the focus away from the failure of these players is the quality of India＊s lower order. Last series against New Zealand, Wriddhiman Saha had topped the batting average for India. This series, barring a meaningful 35 in the first innings of the first Test, his batting has been sub-par. And he dropped a couple of chances in the first Test too. Now he is out for the third test due to a strained hamstring. His replacement is southpaw Parthiv Patel can handle pace with panache but his keeping, last seen, left a lot to be desired. Rishabh Pant is the hottest batsman in Ranji Trophy today but his glove work too isn＊t of Test standard.
BCCL
In the lower order, India has been regularly lifted by R Ashwin, who is stroking the ball with a certain ease might arouse the envy of make any top order batsman. Add to this the maturity of newbie Jayant Yadav and the shot-making skills of Ravindra Jadeja 每 and you have a lower line-up that can be trusted to add at least 100 runs every time. Also don＊t forget that apart from bowling unplayable deliveries, Mohd Shami has emerged as the cleanest hitter sixes in the team. He has struck 4 maximums in this series 每 no teammate comes even close. Some of those shots remind you of Tiger Woods.
BCCL
Depending on the pitch, there could be changes in the bowling attack in Mohali. Pacer Umesh Yadav has been the unluckiest bowler of the team but probably India needs Ishant Sharma back as the beast of burden. Despite Jayant Yadav＊s success with bat and ball, one is not sure if dropping Amit Mishra was a good idea.
Think about this: just a few weeks back he was declared the man of the series against New Zealand after the ODIs. The leg-spinner, who plays for Haryana, had produced an all-round performance to pip the extraordinary Kohli. And yet he was dropped after just one Test failure 每 even though he had taken three wickets in the game. Jayant bowled the delivery of the match in knifing through Stoke＊s defence in the second innings at Vizag. But he is not a five-wicket Test bowler at this stage. Mishra is. Who says, life isn＊t unfair?
Jadeja too needs to raise his game. Without a wicked wicket, he looks average. Jadeja＊s unwillingness to master the flight has made him a bad-track bully. He wasn＊t too effective either in Rajkot or Vizag.
BCCL
In this backdrop, India needs to be at its competitive best when the Mohali game begins. A Test win by 246 runs is handsome and emphatic by any standards. But a scoreboard can be misleading. What we see on the result sheet at the end of the second Test in Vizag doesn＊t accurately reflect the minimal difference between the two sides. This is a real tight series. Everyone in the playing eleven needs to get his act together. Team India cannot afford the luxury of anyone looking for a free ride.
