IND vs ENG: How India’s batsmen capitalised on England’s callow bowling group

At the end of Day One, of a series that promises plenty of thrills and twists, Yashasvi Jaiswal, with an unbeaten 76 off 70 deliveries, has opened up a glaring hole in England’s set-up that has the potential to bury them down. Their inexperience.

Two of their three spinners with a combined experience of just one Test before this are not showing sufficient signs of complimenting Jack Leach, whose control alone may not be enough for them to get the job done, particularly on a pitch that is on the slower side. How much their decision to go without a second seamer could cost them only time will tell, but India have, so far, made full use of it.

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Having restricted England to 246 on what is probably the most batting friendly surface in recent times (barring the one in Ahmedabad against Australia, which played out a draw), India’s response seems to suggest they want to bat just once and big. With 119/1 on board, and still trailing by 127 runs, a big first innings lead, which England cannot swat away quickly, will be India’s primary target on Day 2. If not, there is enough time in the Test for scripting comebacks. While the pitch at Hyderabad was not as hostile as it was in Nagpur, Delhi or Indore last year, in the Australia series, it is expected to undergo wear and tear as the game progresses. Batting last in India, as you would know, comes with its own risk.

Axar Patel, who grabbed two wickets, including a ripper to dismiss Jonny Bairstow, summed up the pitch and outlined India’s plans. “They made 246 and we know that the wicket was good. There is spin but the wicket is slow and we know that we did well to restrict them to 246,” he said. “We will look to bat long and then runs will be taken care of. I don’t think the pitch is having any excessive spin, it’s just normal spin. As I said the pitch is slow and we can adjust to it as the ball is getting slow after pitching. It is a bit challenging as well for the batters but if you bat well then you can make runs here. It is challenging for bowlers as well because the outfield is quick here and you can go for runs if you err in line and length even slightly,” he added.

Purpose and intent

India’s response has been commendable so far. In the 23 overs they batted, they were all purpose and showed the intent that was needed to make full use of the good work their bowlers put in. With Wood being the lone seamer – Ben Stokes won’t be bowling because he has just recovered from a leg injury – he had to be on the dot and there was no room for error. But a gifted length delivery first up allowed Jaiswal to start with a boundary before he welcomed Tom Hartley to Test cricket with a six wide of long-on.

Hyderabad: India’s captain Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal run between the wickets on the first day of the first cricket test match between India and England, at Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, in Hyderabad, Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024. (PTI Photo/Shailendra Bhojak)

Four balls later, he swept him over the ropes. On such pitches, spells with the new ball tend to make a difference, but Wood – taking the new ball for the first time since 2015 – continued to be wayward, sending an eight-ball over in his second that hardly troubled Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma. As Hartley conceded 13 more of his second over, Ben Stokes would ultimately turn to Leach to find some control as early as the fifth over.

It was a fascinating approach from India, who despite wanting to bat long and big, were in the mood to take on the attack. This wasn’t mindless slogging, but a calculative approach, where they targeted the inexperienced spinners, not letting them settle down on a line and length, using the feet when needed to put pressure. The only mistake that India made with the bat was when Rohi tried to dish out the same punishing treatment to Leach, but managed only to mistime it as far as Stokes at mid-on. It led to a few nervy moments with Shubman Gill surviving a close LBW call, as even Jaiswal took pedal off a bit to limit any further damage.

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Having put early pressure on Hartley and Rehan Ahmed, whose wrist-spin went for 22 runs in three overs, unless England pick early wickets on Day 2, they could well be in for a long day. For this doesn’t look like one of those surfaces where wickets will fall in a cluster. This is a pitch where the bowlers need to have impeccable control and attack the stumps more. So far, England have seldom done that, giving India the gifts they would have hoped for. Unless England’s inexperienced attack manages to hit the right notes on Friday morning, India’s plan to bat once and for big will materialize, provided they apply themselves. Having adopted a naturally aggressive approach as their head coach Rahul Dravid had mentioned in the pre-game presser, how they go about their business on Day 2 will set the tone for the Test.

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