IND vs ENG: Plenty of positives for Virat Kohli’s India in rain-marred first Test
The weather gods decided that there should be no clear winner in a Test Match that swung from end to end for the first four days. On the fifth day of the first test between India and England at Trent Bridge, due to incessant rain, not a single ball could be played, and by tea time the judges decided to cancel it.
India had a fair chance of going 1-0 up going into the fifth day and captain Virat Kohli was disappointed that he didn’t get the chance to strike first in a five-Test series. Incidentally, India’s last fixture in Nottingham before this — the 2019 World Cup league match against New Zealand to whom they ultimately lost in the semis — was also washed out.
Despite the fact India couldn’t go 1-0 up, there were a lot of positives for the team. Captain Kohli made it clear the best thing about the first Test was the fact that they have forged “a template” for the series.“Adaptability is important, but this should be the template for the series,” Kohli said.
The four-pacer theory, which includes bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur, and one spinner who can be effective with the bat (Ravindra Jadeja) could mean that world’s top spinner Ravichandran Ashwin may have to spend more time outside the playing XI.
Mayank Agarwal’s injury with a couple of days to go for the Test may prove a blessing in disguise for the team because KL Rahul was asked to open.
The Karnataka player, who was in the squad as a back-up middle-order batsman, grabbed his opportunity and showed great temperament to score 84 in the first innings against some quality swing bowling.
“At this level you have to make the most of the opportunities that you get. I am happy that I could do what was expected of me and I hope it continues,” Rahul said.The Indian tail-enders also made important contributions away from home. In the first innings here, Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Siraj added 49 runs which could have been crucial if rain didn’t intervene.“
It was the last three weeks of hard work that is paying off,” Kohli said about his tail-enders chipping in.
Bumrah hadn’t looked at his best in the last few Tests that he had played. He seemed to have lost the outgoing delivery to the right-hander and that made him look predictable even in the World Test Championship final.
But Bumrah got that delivery to work right from the start and it paid him rich dividends as he picked up nine wickets.
“It’s a delivery that I perfected in 2018. For some time, I might have lacked the confidence to execute it properly. But during the break I worked on it and it came out well in this Test,” Bumrah said in a TV interview.
In the absence of allrounder Hardik Pandya, it was crucial to find a replacement. Shardul looked good with the ball, taking four important wickets. He didn’t succeed with the bat but the team management believes he will be up for it going forward.
