Well played Shubman Gill, but did you declare too late out of the fear of Bazball? India captain's tactics ‘boring'

Hindustan Times

2 days ago

'Boring, Boring Indians.' Loud chants rang out from the packed Hollies Stand, its occupants clearly in high spirits after generously having courted Bacchus. You could see where they were coming from. India's captain Shubman Gill, right, along with teammates appeal to the umpire during day four of the second Test match against England at Edgbaston(AP)
India's lead had already touched 591 when Shubman Gill's wonderful second century of the match came to an end. The sight of Nitish Kumar Reddy walking out at that stage, with potentially 22 overs of batting left in the evening, didn't improve their mood, already blue after another day of batting domination by the visitors. They wanted their guys to go out and do their thing, they didn't want India to add to a total that, in 148 years of Test cricket, had never been even remotely threatened.
Which brought the question – how much is too much?
India eventually asked England to hunt down 608 to rip history to shreds, to go where no team had even dreamt of going before. Six-oh-eight? Wow. Was that because they were fearful of the 'B' brand of cricket England have embraced in the last three years? Was that because they were apprehensive of the muscle and the might and the intrepidness of the England batting, which made 350 on the last day in Leeds appear a gentle stroll in the park? Was that because they believed the surface was still excellent for batting and that it was better to be safe than sorry? Or was that because they had enough faith in the quality of their bowling, even in Jasprit Bumrah's absence, to pick up 10 English wickets in 108 overs?
No one definitive answer to any of these questions, really. India won't acknowledge in public, but if they did wonder whether 591 may not be enough, one can't really blame them. That's what Bazballing England have done to Test cricket.
The Edgbaston strip has pretty much been a new-ball surface, as the events of the last four days have amply illustrated. India wanted two bites with the new cherry – for an hour and a little on the fourth evening, and for a while on the final morning, potentially under overcast skies because the forecast is for a bit of rain around the 11.00 am start time even though the chances of precipitation post 1.30 pm currently stand at zero percent on respected weather platforms.
They might point to the success of their strategy after having the visitors on the hop, three down by close of Saturday's play. And reinforce their philosophy by noting that despite losing three wickets, the hosts raced to 72 in the 16 overs of play possible. To say that Ben Stokes' England have put the fear of the chase in all oppositions will be no exaggeration.
The very fact that people are even discussing – seriously discussing – the chances of England rattling up 536 runs on the final day, at six an over, must be seen as a victory for their steamrolling methods that have allowed them to secure wins in all three Tests previously in which they have conceded more than 500 in the first innings in the Stokes-Brendon McCullum management era. A case can be made out for India giving themselves more overs to have a go at England, considering that both their proven wicket-taking options – Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav – are warming the benches and maybe India were a little too conservative in their declaration, at 427 for six. But how much, if at all, they were, will become clear when the final day's proceedings unfurl on Sunday and England are confronted with the sternest examination of their character and mindset under Stokes' leadership.
Day 5 now looms as a clash of ideologies
There was nothing conservative about India's batting approach on Saturday, however. Gill, who it seems can't put a foot wrong when he straps his pads on and takes guard, was again the lord and master of all he surveyed. There was no sign of physical fatigue or mental lethargy despite eight and a half hours with the bat in the first innings while making 269, followed by six hours in the field when England replied to India's 587 with 407. There was no dimming of his appetite, no dialling down of his intensity, no tardiness when it came to running between the wickets. Gill's tally of runs this series sits at a monumental 585 after just four innings. He has occupied the crease for 1,116 minutes – just shy of 19 hours – and yet even towards the end of his run-a-ball 161, he ran his as well as his partner's ones and twos with all the enthusiasm of a fresher. He hasn't put a foot wrong in this Test so far; only time will tell if the declaration delayed is his only, but decisive, error.