IND vs ENG: Young guns shine in India’s biggest Test win by runs

IND vs ENG: Young guns shine in India’s biggest Test win by runs

AFTER INDIA’S 434-run win over England at Rajkot on Day 4 of the third Test, the team’s biggest in terms of runs, captain Rohit Sharma spoke about the biggest takeaway — youngsters delivering when it mattered.

“Lots of credit to the young boys who have shown character and that they belong at this level and want to belong here. We talk about bench strength and we saw it in this series. It’s a good feeling to win a game after being down 33 for 3 in the first innings,” Rohit said after the team took a 2-1 series lead with two Test matches to go.

For India, the performances of the youngsters was a sign of a bright future for the Test team.

Yashasvi Jaiswal, 22, became the third youngest to hit two double hundreds (Vinod Kambli is the youngest and Don Bradman the second youngest).

Read | How did Yashasvi Jaiswal prepare for the James Anderson onslaught

Sarfaraz Khan, 26, made sure he cashed in on his Test debut with two half centuries after performing for years in first-class cricket, and Shubman Gill, 24, who started the series under pressure, turned his fortunes around with a hundred in the last Test and a 91 in the second innings of this Test.

Read | Yashasvi Jaiswal hits second double hundred vs England in Rajkot, breaks multiple records

Chasing a target of 557 runs, England were shot out for 122 in their second innings; it was a throwback to an earlier era when English batsmen would collapse in a heap, after their bowlers leaked runs to Indian batsmen.

Read | Like Vinod Kambli, Sarfaraz Khan has become an instant crowd favourite

It was the 90s all over again after two close Tests in which England won the hearts with their attacking approach with the bat and the ball.

The Indian celebrations were pretty muted after the win: handshakes and light pat on each other’s backs and they filed toward the dressing room. As the final wicket fell, Ravindra Jadeja raised his arms aloft to soak in the win and his performances. A game-turning hundred in the first innings and a five-for in the second to bowl out England in less than 40 overs.

It was a game with a couple of dramatic moments: from India stumbling to 33 for 3 on the opening morning to R Ashwin having to leave the game midway due to a family emergency on the evening of Day 2, after reaching the remarkable landmark of 500 Test wickets. He rejoined the team on Sunday morning – “it shows his character to put the team ahead,” Rohit said.

But it would be Jadeja who followed his first-inning hundred with a five-for in the second to bowl out England for 122 and bag the man-of-the-match award.

The game will also raise questions about England’s attacking Bazball approach. Did they overcook it, did they get carried away? In particular, two moments on the third day would be under the spotlight.

Read | Why the sweep shot didn’t work for Joe Root and other England batsmen

With England strolling along comfortably at 224 for 2, in pursuit of India’s first innings total of 434, Joe Root reverse swept Jasprit Bumrah to second slip. Not long after, when they seemed to be on recovery, reaching 299 for 5, their captain Ben Stokes slugged to long-on. In between, the imperious centurion Ben Duckett carved a wide delivery straight to cover to complete England’s banana-peel of a day.

“Because he got out to it, Joe Root’s dismissal was the turning point,” Stokes admitted. “It’s not a shot you necessarily see Test match players playing. But look, who am I to question a guy who has 30 Test match hundreds, nearly 12,000 Test match runs. I think he knows what he’s doing.”

Stokes would also say that England won’t change their aggressive approach that has come to be known as Bazball. “No, not at all. We will go out there and play with freedom. There is no need to change; just a look at the execution.”

At 33 for 3, on the opening day on a flat pitch, things had looked dire for the hosts. But the seniors came to the rescue then as Rohit and Jadeja hit hundreds in a 204-run partnership. Even then, India’s position wasn’t secure but Sarfaraz smashed a 66-ball 62 to not only strengthen India’s grip but also showed how to effectively take on England’s spinners on this track.

Taking a cue, and also following from his first double hundred, was Jaiswal who walloped the bowlers in the second innings to take India to an impregnable position. It says something that three of the more positive knocks of intent in this series has come from the youngsters Jaiswal and Sarfaraz.

There was an apprehension as the series progressed that India might be done in due to the lack of experience among players, but it will warm the hearts of the team management that the youngsters are beginning to stand up. Especially after the failures of Shreyas Iyer, who was dropped, and Axar Patel, with the ball.

“You have to work really really hard for four-five days to win a Test, which is good. We were good with our plans in the 2nd and 3rd Test and executed what we wanted to do on the field with bat and ball and took some good catches as well,” Rohit said.

In the end, an all-round effort did the job for India while England, even if they don’t admit publicly, have some introspection to do.

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