With 15 months to go for the next ICC Cricket World Cup – to be held profitably India – Teams are in the stage of shaping their squad. A defeat at this point – which was India’s 100-run stand for England in the second of the three-match One Day International series – is no disaster.
A bad day at the office can easily be remedied at the Decider at Old Trafford in Manchester on Sunday. But what matters most in the ODI format is the lesson to be learned from each encounter to strengthen preparations for the tournament.
Captain Rohit Sharma justified his decision to field first on the grounds that there was residual moisture in the pitch and preferred to know how much to chase rather than set one. He was not cleverly unwell on the second count, but was wrong to think that the wicket would be anything but a dry bone. England is in the midst of an unusual heatwave. Also, it was cloudless and sunny throughout England’s innings.
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Parched conditions predictably assisted spin; And surprisingly, leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal took four for 47, while Ravindra Jadeja, with his conservative left-arm spin, was the most economical of the Indian bowlers.
On a slower surface than the track in the first meeting at The Oval, India’s pacers were steady rather than penetrating. Hardik Pandya’s availability to bowl has been a bonus for the Indians on this tour. His precise line, coupled with clever variations of length – including throwing in a bouncer – usually got him two wickets at a quick pace, even if his ball had missed the catch.
The England batsmen never let loose. But Jonny Bairstow and Liam Livingstone’s run-a-ball 38 and 33 kept the scoreboard ticking, while Moeen Ali’s top score of 47 off 64 balls, not to mention 41 off 47 by David Willey, was a close run. Rate entered. Five more ultra-modest in the context of modern limited overs. He got out for 246 runs.
As the day progressed, the post-office crowd filtered through the turnstiles to pack the stands to capacity. However, the Indian batting was not up to the mark. Neither Sharma nor his left-arm opening partner Shikhar Dhawan could really walk. It also created an opportunity for the middle-order, which they were denied in their 10-wicket win in the previous match.
out-of-form Virat Kohli Promises a lot with two scenic drives and one off-drive. But the misunderstanding that had crept into his game reappeared as he began munching on a delivery away from him.
In short, the fifth wicket partnership of Suryakumar Yadav and Pandya raised hopes before the former could play. In short, an unmistakable target missed in challenging batting conditions as there was an uncanny batting failure. A typical malaise is playing away from the body or doing so too quickly.
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