IND vs ENG: How the Rajkot pitch can favour England more than India

“The team management decides the pitch. Not me,” Kuldeep Yadav would say when asked why there have been no akhadas (rank-turners) in the Test series so far. When pressed, he would offer, “Batting is also important.” And leave it at that without getting into the brittleness of India’s batting.

That quote about team-management influencing the pitch was perhaps a freudian slip about the worst-kept secret. Not a secret, really, as Rahul Dravid’s numerous pitch walks and long chats with curators through the series have all been done in the open.

The pitch doesn’t look too far different from the last time England played a Test here under Alastair Cook in 2016. England made 537 and 260 for 3 declared, and India, who had scored 488, almost panic-collapsed on the last day before Virat Kohli (49 not out), R Ashwin (32) and Jadeja (32 not out) saved them as they ended on 172 for 6.

Local lad @imjadeja has a special wish for @ashwinravi99, who is one wicket away from 5⃣0⃣0⃣ Test wickets 😃👌#TeamIndia | #INDvENG | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/zGn1B8IZrb

— BCCI (@BCCI) February 14, 2024

England have come a long way from there, crossing the bridge from the regular land to the brave new world of Bazball under Ben Stokes. “If this was Alastair Cook’s England, I could have confidently predicted a draw on what appears to be a flat track. Cook was more cautious and would ensure not losing first. But this team, under Stokes, will go for a win even on the flattest pitch,” says Telegraph’s Nick Hoult, also the co-author of ‘Bazball: How England transformed Test cricket’.

You have to give it to England for their refreshing approach.

Reverse swing

Ollie Pope had spoken about one of the greatest moments he had had with the team thus far; it had come in the Test in Pakistan in Rawalpindi at the end of 2022 when Stokes declared the second innings, setting a target of 343 on a batting beauty. Pope was doubtful. “We were like: ‘Really? It’s still a road, this pitch.’ Then it was just the clarity Stokesy had in his mind with: ‘We’re going to go short at them with the new ball, then we’re going to get it reversing’,” Pope told Telegraph. “To win it, just before the sun set, was one of the greatest feelings I’ve had on a pitch.”

That clarity can’t be seen in the Indian team’s approach. If not for Jasprit Bumrah, who incidentally hasn’t had an outing at the nets in Rajkot yet, the second Test too would have been lost. They have had batting worries. If not for a DRS call that went his way, after being urged by Shreyas Iyer to take it, Shubman Gill could well have been with the Punjab team now playing Ranji Trophy. This newspaper had reported an ultimatum from the team-management before the last game.

What Gill did at nets

At the optional nets on Wednesday — he hadn’t turned up on Tuesday — Gill faced throw downs from Vikram Rathour and co. That singular problem of weight transfer would rear up at the nets as well; bowled, pinged on his pad, and miscued drives as he would invariably be late in getting forward. Occasionally, he would walk up to Rathour and would train his front foot strides – experimenting with longer and shorter strides.

Rajkot: India’s Shubman Gill during a practice session ahead of the third Test match between India and England, at Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, in Rajkot, Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024. (PTI Photo/Kunal Patil)

Sarfaraz Khan, who didn’t turn up on Wednesday, had looked relaxed on Tuesday at the nets, walking & running down the track, sweeping, and late-cutting the spinners. Undoubtedly, Mark Wood would be testing him with short balls even on what appears to be a flat track.

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Two other men need to really step it up for India to push for a result here: Rohit Sharma and R Ashwin, who needs just one wicket to get to the admirable landmark of 500 Test wickets.

Can Rohit and the spin twins restore normalcy for India in a home series in what has been a strange series to watch thus far: cagey India vs confident England. Those adjectives used to be the other way around for all these years.

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