India Beat England In A Decider Thriller: Win ICC Cricket World Cup Super League Series!

 

Sam Curran

Of course, history does repeat itself from time to time; but the history of successfully chasing 337 runs in a one-day international (ODI) match does not repeat itself too often.  Thanks to some incredible display of power batting by Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes England chased 337 and defeated India by 6 wickets the other day in the second ODI of the ICC World Cup Super League series thus levelling the 3-match series. Although India posted a target, a little less than the other day, of 329 today England nearly repeated history again with bowling allrounder Sam Curran (95 not out) taking over charge. It rankled in the minds of Indian fans that the famed batting strength of the hosts wasted 8 balls of the Indian innings as there were no batsmen left, and that they could have set a target well over 350 runs. In the bargain were treated to a real nail-biter of a match that India, studded with dropped catches and misfields, finally managed to win by 7 runs thus winning the Series 2-1 and lifting the Paytm Trophy. Not to speak of the fact that Kohli lost the toss yet again, for the sixth time in a row.

 

Indian batting faltered after a solid foundation was laid by the openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan between whom 103 runs were scored only in the 15^thover. England, persisting with the two spinners, suddenly unleashed them on the Indians and it was not exactly clear whether they got some lethal turn on this batting heaven or the Indians showed lack of application. Adil Rashid tore through the gate bowling Rohit (37) and then having a well-set Dhawan (67) in matter of two overs; joining him Moeen Ali tore through the gate this time of Virat Kohli (7) clean bowling him; and perhaps inspired by the duo Liam Livingstone was brought in by the stand-in English captain Jos Buttler and KL Rahul (7) was caught off Livingstone, suddenly India sliding to 157/4 in the 25^thover with the hope of crossing the 300 mark resting solely on Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya.

 

Pant again thrilled cricket lovers by a superlative innings of 78 runs in 62 balls with 5 fours and 4 sixes, and Pandya (66 runs in 44 balls, 5 fours and 4 sixes) carried on after Pant departed with cameos from Krunal Pandya (25) and Shardul Thakur (30). It is thanks to the balanced Team India that a total of 329 runs could still be reached which was no mean target for any opposition under any circumstances.

 

England managed to keep up the momentum not allowing the asking rate to climb alright, but the fall of wickets at regular intervals diminished their hopes phase by phase. With the fall of Buttler at the team score of 95/4 the match came back overwhelmingly in India’s favour, and the joy of Kohli and team was to be seen when the DRS proved Buttler out LBW. But Sam Curran had other ideas. First, he built a 57-run partnership with Rashid, then 60-run partnership with Mark Wood and fought till the last over when the last man Topley was only there to give him company. Curran stopped taking singles keeping himself on the firing line, looking for fours and sixes, and he nearly pulled it off. Hardik dropped him early on and was later dropped by Natarajan. England, although vanquished, must be given due credit for their all-out efforts to bowl India out and their magnificent fielding all around the park that saved at least 20 runs, and of course, the late match-defining charge led by Curran.

 

The Indian pacers bowled with determination, particularly Bhuvneshwar Kumar who clean-bowled Jason Roy in the very first over after being hit fiercely and then Bairstow, and Shardul Thakur who took the crucial wickets of Malan, Buttler and Livingstone. However, 18 runs given away by Thakur in his last over at a crucial juncture of the match and dropping a crucial catch in the dying moments of the match did not do him much good. Natarajan, replacing spinner Yadav, captured the prize wicket of Stokes after the latter was dropped by Hardik off the bowling of Kumar, and bowled the last over of the match keeping his nerve, particularly after dropping Curran moments back, and England could not get the 14 runs required for a match and a series win. Most deservingly Sam Curran was adjudged man-of-the-match. Jonny Bairstow was given the man-of-the-series award, again a most deserving candidate.  

       

In this England Tour of India, the hosts have beaten the visitors in all three formats: winning the Test Series 3-1 thus qualifying for the World Test Championship Final; winning the T20I Series 3-2 and the ODI Series 2-1. For the next two months IPL-2021 is going to capture the imagination of the Indian cricket fans and revelers.

Sensational Bairstow-Stokes Batting Powers England To Tremendous Win Over India, Paytm ODI Series Level at 1-1!

 Jonny Bairstow

When a team chases a down a massive target of 337 runs with plenty of overs to spare you can only watch wonder-struck at the sensational batting display that has to be the cause of it and cannot really blame the rival team. England have done this tonight, overcoming the Indian target that looked quite formidable very easily at the end thanks to the spectacular batting performances of all the top three: Jason Roy notching up 55 off 52 balls falling to a terrible run-out; Jonny Bairstow registering a magnificent ton of 124 off just 112 balls; and most importantly, Ben Stokes scoring an incredible 99 in just 52 balls, getting out caught 1 run away from what could have been a memorable century. There were 24 fours and unbelievable 20 sixes (10 of those go to Stokes) in their victorious innings. At one stage of the game they were scoring almost 20 runs an over with Bairstow and Stokes firing all cylinders in their partnership of 175 runs. So then, England won the second one-day international match by 6 wickets with more than 6 overs to spare, thus levelling the Paytm ODI Series at 1-1 in Pune today.

 

Ben Stokes

The Indian players on the field, particularly Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, showed their frustration and irritation quite clearly quite frequently as they looked helplessly at most of their bowlers being hit mercilessly by the England batsmen all around the park with consummate ease. Except for Bhubaneshwar Kumar who too got hit at the death overs, all other India bowlers, particularly Kuldeep Yadav, could not make any impression on the English marauding batsmen. The first wicket of Roy came in the form a run-out thanks to a brilliant piece of fielding by Rohit Sharma, after the first partnership of 110 runs with Bairstow in the 17^th over. When India did manage to get three quick wickets in Stokes, Bairstow and Buttler it was too late, because the devastatingly definitive batting left plenty of balls to get the required runs. Curiously for India, both the Pandya brothers continued to play and Hardik Pandya not bowling a single over. Rishabh Pant was brought in replacing Shreyas Iyer who unfortunately got injured in the last match while fielding and was ruled out not only for this series but also for the forthcoming IPL-2021.

 

The batting of the Indians, of a very high order no doubt, goes into oblivion as this failed to win the match for them. Consistent with regained form KL Rahul scored a ton, captain Kohli a half century and Pant and Hardik played explosive innings of 77 (40 balls) and 35 (16 balls) respectively. If one compares the top English batsmen with the Indian counterparts one can see the difference, Indians consuming more balls for the runs scored: Dhawan’s 4 in 17 balls; Kohli’s 66 in 79 balls; and Rahul’s 108 in 114 balls. However, their final score of 336/6 still looked very challenging.

 

There were a few changes in the England team for this match: Liam Livingstone making his ODI debut; Dawid Malan coming in place of injured Sam Billings (I was wondering about him as he was in top form in the T20Is, but the practice of playing only ‘specialized’ players for various formats nowadays leaves out in-form and most useful batsmen in the wilderness on many occasions for many teams); pacer Reece Topley making a comeback after years, replacing Mark Wood; and captain Morgan ruling himself out due to injury. Taking into account the last two T20I matches England have won the toss for the fourth time in a row. English spinner duo Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid bowled much more effectively than the Indian duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Krunal Pandya.

 

Now, 28^thMarch is going to be a super Sunday when the cracker of a decider is going to be played between World Champions and No.1 team England and No.2 India. The pressure at the moment seems to be more on India after their bowlers miserably failed to defend a massive total today. Apart from that there is nothing much to choose from the two teams. However, it’s time Virat Kohli wins a toss!

Neutralizing The Toss For The Third Time India Beat England In The 1st ODI: A Case Of Constants & Variables?

In the first one-day international (ODI) of the three-match Series played in Pune India have beaten England by 66 runs yesterday, taking a 1-0 lead in the series. Like the last few matches this game too was played to empty stadiums due to the second wave of COVID-19 virus in India. India’s captain Virat Kohli lost the toss yet again, for the third time in a row taking into account the last two T20 internationals, and it proved to be a good toss to lose, yet again. It was heartening to see India’s regular opening pair, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan, coming in to open the innings. Perhaps this being the first match of the series India started very cautiously to avoid the oft-repeated first-match blues, and concentrated on doing the groundwork for a good total. However, they did not get into a shell which also proves to be India’s undoing on many occasions. In the power-play overs they managed to put up 64 runs when Rohit departed for 28 off 42 balls.     

 

The first hundred-run partnership of the Indian innings was achieved between Dhawan and Virat Kohli, and Kohli fell to Mark Wood for 56 off 60 balls at the team score of 169 in the 33^rd over. Shreyas Iyer, coming in at no.4, became Wood’s second victim at the team score of 187 in the 35^th over. The player-of-the-match Dhawan had been going on steadily at the other hand, but unfortunately he could not accomplish the landmark of a ton and fell to Ben Stokes for 98 runs in the 39^thover at the team score of 197. When big-hitter Hardik Pandya followed suit immediately for just 1 run to give Stokes this third wicket India were in some spot of bother, because at 5 down for 205 in the 41^st over the ideal target of 300+ runs looked distant with only KL Rahul as the recognized batsman and who had been doing poorly despite the rigorous restoration project undertaken for him by the team management.

 

However, Hardik’s brother Krunal Pandya, making his debut in the ODI format, changed it all, and as a welcome change Rahul started playing fluently. The second hundred-run partnership of the innings, the longer and the game-changing one, happened between the duo with the strikingly dominant partner Krunal making 58 not out off just 31 balls and Rahul making 62 not out in 43 balls. India crossed the 300-mark and put up a challenging target of 318 for England to win. In modern ODI cricket the 300+ landmark is no longer unassailable and it seemed that India fell short by about twenty runs.

 

As if to exacerbate such fears in the minds of the Indian fans England opening pair Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow started in the most destructive manner, notching up incredible 135 runs in the 15^th over. The formidable asking rate now had become very manageable under 6 an over, and with wickets in hand the game shifted dramatically to England’s favour. At that point of time another debutant for India ODIs, pacer Prasidh Krishna, captured the crucial wicket of Roy (46) and then cutting short Ben Stokes for just 1 run.

 

The fall of Bairstow to Shardul Thakur for 94 off 66 balls delivered another death blow to England’s aspirations, at 169/3 in the 23^rd over. After that the combination of Krishna (4/54) and Thakur (3/37) ensured England losing wickets at regular intervals with Bhubaneshwar Kumar, economical as ever, joining in at the end for 2 wickets. Sensational debutant Krunal also opened his wicket account with a solitary one. Finally, England were all out for 250 in the 43^rdover which meant that but for the lack of enough wickets in hand the visitors were always in the chase.

 

With tremendous bench strength building up all the time for India, particularly the emergence of of quite a few promising fast bowlers, Team India seems to be swimming in a stream of constants and variables. The number of constants in the team seems to be dwindling from time to time in favour of the variables. See, India have achieved the last victories without the services of their main strike bowler Jasprit Bumrah, not to speak of another stalwart all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. Of course, there have been contradictions in retaining non-performing constants, like the rigorous restoration project for KL Rahul and hark!—captain Kohli never looks at the prospect of experimenting with himself! This curious syndrome of ‘constants and variables’ should continue to work for India if not taken out of bounds. With the kind of experimentation going on it is not certain if Prasidh and Krunal are going to figure in the next team for the second ODI at all. Performing players should always be rewarded consistently and non-performing ones should be made to realize how precious and competitive the positions in Team India have become of late.

The Lockdown Roti!

From January of the year called 2020 onwards we had been constantly getting reports of the havoc created by the SARS-Cov-2 or the COVID-19 virus in various pockets of China. From February of the same year stray cases were being reported from some parts of India and from the month of March cases were on an unmistakable rise, particularly in the states of Kerala and Maharashtra. We were also hearing about the dangerous spread in several European countries, and we even saw on television how normal ebullient parts of countries like Italy and Spain were looking like ghost cities because of the lockdown. But somehow, at that point of time neither the Indian authorities nor the public took it seriously and perhaps was not aware of the incredibly fast human-to-human transmission that the virus was capable of. Not surprising at all, because even the World Health Organization did not know much at that time. Lockdown was also a novel concept for us and many thought that lockdown was not a realistic measure for a vastly populated country like India where a huge chunk of the population were daily wage earners (in fact, this reality led to the blackest chapter in the Indian lockdown history). So, hardly anybody was surprised when we were headed for Mumbai in Maharashtra by mid-March; we had to go there because of some important personal work.

 

Things were mostly normal in March 2020 except for the closure of schools and colleges. As we reached the Kolkata airport the activities were as usual except for the fact that it was not crowded as earlier and the flight was half-empty. Wearing of masks was not considered essential at that time, and there was a school of thought that healthy people never needed the masks. Anyway, we were given special seats on the plane with free food without any extra cost. At arrival we found the Mumbai airport exceptionally empty and even eerie, but there was no screening, and quarantine was not even heard of as a preventive measure till then.

 

Things started unfolding very fast from late March 2020. National Lockdown was announced from the 25^th of March, and stay-home became the only option available. Compulsory wearing of masks, hand sanitization, thermal checks and social distancing became the norms. As the months rolled by we were getting concerned about our locked home in Kolkata. As the much-delayed COVID-19 peak finally was reached by mid-September and cases started falling from October onwards we started making plans for the journey back, from the month of November. But thanks to various domestic reasons other than the pandemic the plans were getting postponed again and again. The escalation of cases happening in Kerala from February 2021 which was later picked up by Maharashtra made us act immediately as one more lockdown was staring at us.

 

Finally, as it happened, we returned exactly after one year. Arriving at our building I was scared to unlock the house, not knowing what to expect or find inside. We had no experience in our lifetime of having a house locked up for one full year and then coming back. However, everything looked in place as we moved around inside the rooms. Except for a layer of dust, which was only normal, there was not much disorder, and there was no sign of fungus taking over. Even the spider webs were noticeable only in the closed window seals.

I entered the kitchen, a crucial place that always needs to be activated at the earliest. Fortunately, everything looked to be in place here too. Of course, all the food items and cereals left behind were all beyond expiry and smelling. With a healthy thought building up within me about making a steaming cup of tea as soon as possible I spotted a hot case neatly placed in a corner of the kitchen slab. As much out of curiosity as out of habit I lifted the lid. And lo! A roti stared back at me!

 

Good heavens! The roti looked as if it were made only a little while back. It looked perfectly normal, even with the blackish spots or creases that materialize on both sides while cooking it on a hot tawa intact; no blackening otherwise or nets of enveloping fungus. It sort of beckoned at me: one year or not, you can still have me if you want! How that roti got forgotten was something we could never hope to establish.

 

Well, we had been telling our friends about this wonder, and everyone was heartily surprised, some calling it a miracle. Okay, air could not infiltrate the container, but normally a roti hardens and blackens out in about three to four days, wherever may it be kept. My wife had still been preserving it in its wonder-case, for how long I wouldn’t know! Crux of the matter being that the lockdown or the pandemic had no impact on this robust roti!

India Win T20I Cricket Series Against England: Reversing The Syndrome And On With Experiments!

Thanks to India’s non-stop experimentation we got to see a brand new opening partner, none other than India captain Virat Kohli, with Rohit Sharma, and the duo treated us to one of the most exhilarating batting displays in recent times. Rohit was the dominant partner hitting the ball all around the park in his cracker of an innings of 64 runs off 34 balls with 5 sixes and 4 fours while Kohli played the sheet anchor role perfectly, allowing Rohit go berserk. They piled up 94 runs in just the ninth over, and the momentum thus built never slowed down as Suryakumar Yadav, the sensation of the 4^th T20I match, came in at no.3 and made a quickfire 32 in 17 balls. And then, the run-feast was left open to Kohli and Hardik Pandya both of whom played some incredible hits over the fence to post India’s highest ever T20 total against England, 225 runs to win for the demoralized visitors.

 

The match was almost sealed in favour of India, although England did try putting up a brave front with Jos Buttler and Dawid Malan hitting wild to keep up with the asking rate. However, losing the in-form Jason Roy in the very first over was a huge blow and it was too much for the duo and the following batsmen to sustain the very long chase, and they called it a day at 188/9. India won the match by 36 runs and the Paytm T20 International Cricket Series by 3-2. The highlight of India’s bowling attack was Bhubaneshwar Kumar who crafted an incredible performance of 2/15 in 4 overs with as many as 17 dot balls, and he was the rightful man-of-the-match in a game dominated by batsmen.   

 

We mentioned in our earlier piece about the win-toss-win-match syndrome that seemed to upset India’s cart as Kohli kept on losing the toss. However, in the crucial 4^thT20I match India, after being put into bat, managed to post a competitive target of 186 runs and thanks to some inspired bowling by pacer Shardul Thakur, Hardik Pandya and a surprise inclusion of spinner Rahul Chahar England failed to chase successfully despite the dew factor that continued to torment the hosts. Therefore, the syndrome was neutralized by India and the Series was leveled. In the 5^th and the decider T20I match last night Kohli lost the toss yet again, and this time it proved to be a good toss to lose because the pitch that was hard and seemed to be full of runs did prove to be so, and the rest is history.

 

Team India had apparently taken this series as an exercise to prepare for the T20 World Cup-2021, because throughout the five games the experiments never stopped: reserve players were tried and allowed to debut, but the respective performances never meant anything for the team management. Ishan Kishan, tried as an opener, registered a brilliant knock on debut in the second match that India won; but he was pushed to no.3 in the 3^rd and dropped from the 4^th match onwards. Suryakumar Yadav was also allowed to debut in the 2^nd game, dropped in the 3^rd and fortunately, allowed to play at no.3 position in the 4^th and 5^th games. However, the KL Rahul-restoration project that was a contradiction in this experimentation scheme continued unabated till the 4^th match when its failure was confirmed. In view of this maze of experimentation it can also be said that India never really cared if they won or lost games/series. For example, in the 4^th crunch game that could have cost them the series India kept on with Rahul, dropped Ishan Kishan and drafted in Rahul Chahar for the first time in the series.

 

Now that India have won the Series all actions seem justified. However, when the team has time-tested openers why should it be necessary to keep trying new options. Shikhar Dhawan played only once and then dismissed; Ishan Kishan played well and dismissed; and now Kohli has an exciting story to tell about opening partnership. Finally, who are going to open in the World Cup? Rohit-Dhawan or Rohit-Ishan or Rohit-Rahul or Rohit-Kohli? Or what about the opening pair in the three-match one-day international series that starts in Pune from March 23, 2021? Similar experiments done in the almost two-year countdown to the World Cup-2019 focused on an enigmatic no.4 position in the batting order cost India the Cup. 

England Vs India T20I Cricket: The Win-Toss-Win-Match Syndrome Between No.1 And No.2 Teams!

At the start of the five-match T20I Series at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad from 12^thMarch 2021 between England and India, the former was the No.1 team in ICC T20I rankings while the latter was in the second position, and a tough contest was very much in the offing. Interestingly too, both the teams won 7 matches each out of the 14 T20Is played so far between them. But somehow, the win-toss-win-match syndrome has been interfering with the proceedings so far. Thanks to the factors like knowing exactly what total to chase and the night dew the obvious decision on winning the toss has been to bowl first. In the first T20I Eoin Morgan's England won the toss and decided to bowl; the visitors won the match by eight wickets leading the series 1-0. In the second Virat Kohli's India won the toss and as usual decided to bowl; the hosts won the match by 7 wickets, leveling the series at 1-1. And, in the third T20I played on 16^th March 2021 England won the toss again and decided to bowl yet again; the visitors won the match by 8 wickets, leading the series 2-1. With two matches remaining in the series this syndrome is showing no signs of withdrawing.

 

Of course, the two captains and the team managements continue to deny the toss-interplay; well, they have to do so in the larger interest of competitive cricket. Considering it in an objective manner we can only say that the batting-first teams did badly with the bat on all three occasions due to reasons not clearly known: in the first match India managed just 124, perhaps it also meant first-match blues that India has always been used to, and England did not have to exert themselves at all to overhaul; in the second, except for Jason Roy no batsman from England reached the thirties, but they managed to put up a fighting total of 164, and Indian debut opener Ishan Kishan was on a roll along with Virat Kohli who got to business from that match only to win comfortably; and in the third the top and middle orders of Indian batting totally collapsed and only captain Kohli’s rollicking 77 helped India reach 156 which England overhauled easily thanks to Buttler and Bairstow.

 

This Series is crucial for both the teams in view of the forthcoming ICC T20 World Cup to be played in India during October-November this year, and both the teams seem to be in an experimental mood with India, as is usual, taking it beyond the line of control. 

For India: first, playing KL Rahul as an opener despite his rusty form and dropping Shikhar Dhawan immediately after the first flop; giving IPL-2020 dasher Ishan Kishan a chance to open in the second match and after his tremendous performance getting him down to No.3 in the third match just to continue with non-performing Rahul and bring in Rohit who had not been playing due to reasons best known to the management; giving a chance to another IPL promise Suryakumar Yadav in the second match in which he could not come in to bat as his team already won and dropping him in the third match; and playing Rishabh Pant in any position that the management feels like. In the name of experiment it is hardly right to disturb performing pairs or to make the batting order totally haphazard. For England nothing has been unusual except for dropping a performing Mark Wood in the second match and taking him back in the third where he again created havoc in the Indian batting order. 

The Syndrome plus the Experimentation seems set on continuing to be the deciding factor in the remaining two matches, if proven otherwise which would be much better for the game. 

India Qualify For The WTC Final Beating England 3-1 In Test Series!

India have crushed England by an innings and 25 runs in the fourth and last cricket test match at the Motera, Ahmedabad today and won the Test Series 3-1, thus qualifying for the World Test Championship (WTC) Final to be played at Lord’s from 18^th June 2021. India needed to win the Series by at least 2-1 margin and had this match been won by the visitors the Series would have ended in a 2-2 draw in which case Australia would have qualified. There are three priceless innings from the Indians that contributed to this emphatic win at the Motera today. First and foremost, the man-of-the-match Rishabh Pant for his incredible century of 101 in just 118 balls coming in to bat at a time when India had lost 4 wickets for 80 still trailing by 125 runs to England’s first innings total of 205. There was tremendous pressure on him to stick on and at the same time pile up enough runs to help his team come back in the game. Rishabh played against his normal attacking style defending a lot with Rohit Sharma till 121 runs and then taking command with Washington Sundar coming in, slowly opening out to launch his known attacking shots all around the park, and reaching his century with a six. His handling of veteran James Anderson with the new ball had been breath-taking. Rishabh Pant’s innings can be called match-defining as it started building a crucial lead for India.

 

Second, the astute and stylish innings of 96 runs not out by an emerging bowling all-rounder, Washington Sundar, only on his fourth test after a brilliant debut in Australia, giving support to Pant in their most valuable partnership of 113 runs, and then taking over command with Axar Patel for company in the match-winning partnership of 106 runs. Unfortunately, he missed out on a most deserved maiden century.

 

Third, spin-bowling sensation Axar Patel, only on the third test of his career, played a priceless innings of 43 runs, partnering with Sundar for a hundred-run partnership that gave India an unassailable lead of 160 runs. Unfortunately, Axar got run out, missing his half-century and not being able to help Washington get his ton, at the team score of 365 which eventually became the final score as the last wickets fell on that score.

 

Ravichandran Ashwin who achieved the feat of 400 wickets in just 77 tests in the last match at the Motera was deservedly judged the man-of-the-series for his incredible haul of 32 wickets in the four-match series and his astounding century in the Chennai second test. He has also become only the fourth bowler of test cricket for maximum wickets in a series thanks to his 32 in only 4 tests. In this this match he and Axar have evenly divided the wickets, thus each registering a fiver. Axar in fact has had four fivers in his first three test matches with the incredible total catch of 27 wickets. For pacers, Mohammad Siraj chipped in with two wickets in England’s first innings and Ishant Sharma did not need to bowl much.   

 

No England batsman could hold the fort for a much-desired duration except for a half-century by Stokes and 46 by Lawrence, mystery replacement for Archer, in the first innings. Captain Joe Root has virtually become the reverse ‘Root cause’ for defeat, not able to contribute anything of significance in the last three games. In this game England perhaps missed the services of Jofra Archer who was dropped inexplicably in view of the fact Anderson and Stokes captured 7 Indian wickets and that a second spinner was indeed brought in place of Broad whose selection in the last two games had been another mystery. Dom Bess who bowled quite well in tandem with Leach in enabling England win the first test in Chennai got dropped for the next two games, and he could not regain his form after being brought in for this game. England’s second innings was an absolute disaster with the whole team collapsing for 135 runs, just a lone half-century by Dan Lawrence.

 

This match has also definitely given some relief to the new pitch at the Narendra Modi Stadium after the raging controversy that emerged as the inaugural pink-ball test here ended inside two days. Now it’s likely to be accepted as a challenging pitch where each playing team must prove their skills and application, because the fourth test went on for almost three days and while England again had the advantage of batting first and could not again capitalize, Indians, particularly the tailenders, showed the pitch to be an easy one in stages, by building a total of 365 that should be considered as massive on this ground.

 

Thanks to this test series win that also marks the 13th home series win on the trot during 2013-21 India has become the top team in ICC Test rankings and is sitting pretty at the top of the table of the WTC, with co-qualifier New Zealand next and Australia on the third position. With excellent youngsters and newfound talents India would be looking at the WTC Final against New Zealand exuding confidence. For the sixth, seventh and the eight batting positions India have players like Pant, Sundar, Ashwin, Axar and others. For the sixth position the form of Rishabh Pant has been revealing now, and his constant improvement as a wicket-keeper augurs very well for the team. Only the famed top-four Indian batting has been a disappointment except for the consistently useful knocks of Rohit Sharma. The forms of Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane are real concerns at the moment. However, such class cricketers can turn the tide in their team’s favor anytime and instantly. 

Celebration times now for India with cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar's 50 years of his sensational international debut this day in 1971 against West Indies in West Indies making way for India's majestic away Series win. What nicer gift than this win and qualification for the WTC Final in the legend's honor. Not to speak about the brilliant away series win in Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy this January.