Lord's pitch chatter: Shubman Gill's subtle dig and England's growing headache

India Today

16 hours ago

They had built a swagger around 'chasing 600' and intimidating visitors by out-batting them on featherbeds. The formula was simple: flatten the pitch, back the batters, and let the runs do the talking. It had worked consistently, spectacularly so. Just last month, they hunted down 371 in Leeds without breaking a sweat.But Birmingham delivered a rude awakening. The pitch was flat-as England would've wanted-but it was India who made it count. Across two innings, the visitors piled on more than 1000 runs and handed England a monstrous fourth-innings target of 608. A challenge too steep, even for the self-styled revolutionaries of Test cricket.advertisementThe loss seems to have shaken England enough to spark a rare phenomenon: they've started complaining about their own pitches. For years, touring English sides have grumbled about turning tracks in the subcontinent. This time, it was Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum raising eyebrows—calling the Edgbaston surface "subcontinental" and implying it suited India more than the hosts.
Curiously, no such concerns were raised in Leeds, where England chased 371 on a similar surface. Not a word was spoken when England chased 378 on the very same Birmingham pitch three years ago. But once they fell 336 runs short earlier this week in Birmingham, the pitch was suddenly up for debate. Selective memory, perhaps?GILL'S WELL-TIMED NUDGEOn the other hand, Shubman Gill, just two Tests into his captaincy, has already shown the kind of leader he's shaping up to be. Calm, compact, composed. No theatrics, no bravado. Just unwavering faith in his team and a quiet authority that's hard to miss. He helped India erase the scars of Leeds and raise the flag in Birmingham, delivering one of their greatest overseas wins in style.And while he may not be one for verbal volleys, Gill isn't shy of a well-timed nudge either. At the post-match press conference, he danced down the metaphorical track and chipped one cheekily over mid-off:"Abhi dekhenge kaisa wicket dhe raha hai Lord's mein. Mujhe nahi lagta hai itna flat wicket dena wala hai woh. (Let's see what kind of pitch they give us at Lord's. I don't think they'll serve up something this flat again)."Delivered with a smirk, of course. Quiet confidence, sharp timing-just like his batting since arriving in England.THE ENGLISH DILEMMAWith barely any turnaround time, England now face a dilemma: a green pitch or a flat deck at Lord's? Should they go with a lively surface like the one used for the World Test Championship final between South Africa and Australia-or stick to the placid kind that has suited their style in the recent past?Let the numbers guide us.During Joe Root's captaincy (2017-2022), England averaged 29.03 with the bat at Lord's, winning five and losing two. Since Ben Stokes took over, the average has climbed to 34.47.CAN ENGLAND HANDLE SPICE IN LONDON?Head coach Brendon McCullum sent a subtle message to the Lord's curator when he said he'd like "something with a bit more pace, a bit more bounce, and maybe a little bit of sideways, hopefully" at the Home of Cricket later this week.advertisementBut the big question remains: can England afford to roll out a spicy pitch?Whenever India have been offered green tracks overseas, Jasprit Bumrah & Co. have outbowled the hosts. Be it Johannesburg in 2018, the twin London Tests in 2021, or Perth in 2023, Indian pacers have hunted blood on grassy decks.With Bumrah returning for the third Test and Akash Deep seaming the Dukes ball even on a placid pitch in Birmingham, India's pace attack looks in fine shape. Mohammed Siraj is buoyed by his six-for in Leeds. And if needed, they have Arshdeep Singh in reserve to bolster the battery. The tourists will almost certainly not mind a surface with a healthy covering of grass.India's batting unit is also brimming with confidence. Without the baggage of the past, this young core, led by Gill, has already scored close to 2000 runs in two Tests. The likes of KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant bring the added experience of having succeeded in tougher English conditions.England, meanwhile, head to London with growing doubts over their bowling unit. Chris Woakes, the designated leader in the post-Anderson-Broad era, has looked ordinary so far. Josh Tongue and Brydon Carse haven't delivered what England had hoped for-though, in fairness, the conditions haven't helped them.advertisementYes, England have added Jofra Archer and Gus Atkinson to their squad for the Lord's Test. But question marks hang over their fitness: Archer hasn't bowled in a Test since 2021 and has played only one first-class match since. Atkinson, known for his pace, is also coming off an injury layoff.More importantly, do they trust their one-dimensional Bazball-era batters to grind it out if conditions get trickier?England are in a spot of bother. On a live broadcast, former India pacer Varun Aaron couldn't resist a cheeky dig-asking Jonathan Trott if England were thinking of bringing back James Anderson, still swinging it like a wizard in county cricket, a year after retirement.Give a flat pitch, and Gill's waiting. Serve up green, and Bumrah's licking his lips.You wouldn't want to be Stokes or McCullum this week.The Lord's Test could well define the direction this series takes. England need to get the pitch right. But there's a deeper dilemma too: because against this Indian side, there may no longer be such a thing as a 'right' pitch.- EndsTune In