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England: away series

Test matches

First test: curtailed by rain

Dwaipayan Datta, Aug 9, 2021: The Times of India

The weather gods decided that there shouldn’t be a clear winner to a Test match that swung from one end to the other for the first four days. Not a ball was possible through the fifth day of the first Test between India and England at Trent Bridge due to persistent rain and by tea, the umpires decided to call it off.

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 allrounder 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 tailenders 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 tailenders 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.

India wins 2nd test

Nitin Naik, August 17, 2021: The Times of India

Scoreboard, India vs England, Test match- II, in August 2021
From: Nitin Naik, August 17, 2021: The Times of India

India won the 2nd test against England at Lord’s, Mohammed Shami (56 no & 1/13 in 10 overs) and Jasprit Bumrah (34 & 3/33 in 15 overs) played the innings of their lives and then rocked the England top-order, before Ishant Sharma (2/13 in 10 overs) and Mohammed Siraj (4/32) played their part to perfection to give the visitors a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
From: August 17, 2021: The Times of India

Only one team had declared the third innings of a Test after lunch on the final day and won: It was New Zealand who beat Sri Lanka at Kandy in 1984.

On a manic Monday at Lord’s, India became the second as they beat England by 151 runs to take a 1-0 lead. They had no business to win, though. Not after the position they were in when the day began, with them being six down and just 154 ahead. But then this team knows how to turn adversity into opportunity.

Left to chase 272 in 60 overs, after India declared their second innings at 298/8, England looked like they would hold on to a dramatic draw. They had recovered from 90/7 to 120/7, with only 55 balls left and Buttler and Robinson looking good.

But Jasprit Bumrah, after bowling some rapid overs, produced a magical slower one to fox Robinson and trapped him LBW to break the stubborn stand that had lasted 10.3 overs. An inspired Mohammed Siraj, who bowled lungbursting spells in both innings, then had Jos Buttler caught behind and two balls later, castled Jimmy Anderson from the round the wicket to bowl India to a famous win. It was India’s third Test win at Lord’s after 1986 and 2014.

Siraj had earlier dismissed Moeen Ali and Sam Curran off successive balls as Kohli looked for inspiration in his bowling group on a wicket that was flat and slow.

The Indian skipper was at his expressive best on Monday, goading the bowlers, sledging the rivals, chatting with the umpires and making a plethora of faces that an emoji factory would be proud of. He even caught two smart catches, including the big one to dismiss his counterpart Joe Root for 33, immediately after tea.

But he also dropped Buttler off Bumrah at first slip when the English wicketkeeper was on two and for a moment it looked like it would come back to haunt him. But India just kept striking and had too many heroes to make the telling difference. While the bowlers made headlines on Day Five, it was KL Rahul’s ton and Rohit’s 83 after being inserted on a green pitch that set up India’s 364.

Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara kept India alive with their century stand on Day Four. On Day Five, the visitors had already taken giant strides towards victory when Bumrah found the edge of in-form England skipper Root for 33. That wicket came immediately after the tea break, which was taken when Jonny Bairstow was trapped LBW off the last ball before the interval by the consistent Ishant Sharma.

3rd test, Headingley: India loses by an innings

Ehtesham Hasan, August 28, 2021: The Times of India

Scoreboard, India vs England- Test match- III, Headingley- 2021
From: Ehtesham Hasan, August 28, 2021: The Times of India

Contrary to popular expectation, the end came swiftly for India on Day 4 of the third Test against England at Headingley.

The visitors, dismissed for 278 15 minutes before lunch, lost eight wickets for 63 runs to lose by an innings and 76 runs with more than a day to spare. The five-match series now stands at 1-1 with two more Tests to go.

India’s fate rested in the hands of their three most experienced batsmen — Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane — who collectively have an experience of 261 Tests between them. But then vagaries of cricket never cease to amaze.

On a bright and sunny day, ideal for batting, England pacer Ollie Robinson dismantled the famed Indian middle order, piece by piece.

The morning belonged to the 27-year-old seamer, who finished with figures of 5-65, his second fifer of the series, overshadowing his senior partner James Anderson.

The 6ft 5in quick has put behind a tumultuous start to his international career by delivering when most of the regulars are unavailable due to different reasons. Robinson was barred for eight matches by the ECB earlier in the season for his ‘racist and sexist’ tweets posted back in 2012 and 2013.

For India, a lot depended on the kind of start Kohli and Pujara — the two overnight batsmen — would have provided against the second new ball.

The England bowlers, however, set the tone with three scoreless overs, to begin with. The first to go was Pujara, who was deceived in length by Robinson. The Saurashtra batsman had left most of the balls prior to that, and as he looked to let another go by, but the nip-backer thudded onto his front pad.

The bowler quickly convinced captain Joe Root to go upstairs when onfield umpire Richard Kettleborough ruled it not out.

But with no shot offered, the decision went against Pujara who missed out on his first Test century since 2019. Incidentally, this was the sixth time Pujara (91) was dismissed without adding to his overnight score.

Kohli survived a few anxious moments against Anderson to reach his 26th Test half-century with the help of a couple of fours off Robinson. But then again, he poked at a Robinson delivery outside the off-stump to his counterpart Root at first slip.

The writing was well and truly on the wall for India.

Ajinkya Rahane gave Anderson his first second innings wicket in a long time when he pushed at a wide ball to Jos Buttler and Rishabh Pant, not for the first time, nicked Robinson to Craig Overton at third slip.

Pant has scored 87 runs from five innings and the nature of his dismissals in this series have raised serious doubts over his ability to bat at No 6 while facing the Dukes ball.

Ravindra Jadeja did try to muscle way his through with a 25-ball 30 before edging one to Buttler off Robinson. “To bounce back in the fashion, we have done is the most impressive thing. The bowling on the first day was amazing, then the way the openers played and the substantial partnerships we had,” said a beaming Root in the postmatch presentation.

It was a special moment for the England skipper who led from the front with a fluent 121 to set up England’s win. This was his 27th win as captain and he has bettered his mentor Michael Vaughan’s record of 26 Test victories.

Asked if England’s revival had been a surprise, Root replied: “It might be for you but it’s not for me because I know the talent we’ve got and what we’re capable of.”

Fifth Test: first ‘forfeited’, then ‘cancelled’

K ShriniwasRao, Sep 11, 2021: The Times of India

Covid huge worry: Team to BCCI
From: K ShriniwasRao, Sep 11, 2021: The Times of India

An intense 24-hour drama that began Thursday with a support staff member of the Indian team testing positive in Manchester, ended with the final Test of the fivematch series between India and England being called off.

Senior Team India members, who had cancelled their pre-match training after assistant physiotherapist Yogesh Parmar tested positive, went into a self-imposed quarantine. They got repeated RT-PCR tests done and refused to take the field the next day, saying it was too much of a worry for them to focus on the cricket. The BCCI decided to stand by its players and conveyed this to ECB. Thus, the world’s most powerful cricket board flexed its muscles to settle the issue, for now.

ECB released a statement saying India had “forfeited” the match, then changed the status of the match to “cancelled”. A forfeiture would have meant the series ending in a 2-2 draw. The series stays 2-1 in India’s favour, with the option of playing a “rescheduled” Test.

England home series

India’s success stories in T20Is

March 22, 2021: The Times of India

INDIA’S SUCCESS STORIES IN T20Is

SURYAKUMAR YADAV AS NO. 3

The Mumbai player looked natural in that slot and his ability to take on bowlers from the moment he walked in showed he is cut out for the big stage. He never allowed the tempo to drop, despite knowing full well that a failure might dent his hopes of being a long-term international player.

ISHAN KISHAN’S DAZZLING DEBUT

Another Mumbai Indians player who looked ready to play in any slot. Looked completely at ease during his explosive and match-winning 57 as an opener in the second game. He can also be an additional wicketkeeping option.

RETURN OF BHUVNESHWAR

The canny pacer has been bothered by injuries of late, but all that seemed a thing of the past. He was equally brilliant both in Powerplay and the slog overs and a Man of the Match effort in the deciding run-fest was an apt reward for his performances.

SHARDUL’S STRIKES

The CSK player has the ability to deliver what the captain wants. He has the happy knack of taking wickets at crucial stages — the dismissals of Ben Stokes and Eoin Morgan in the fourth match and Dawid Malan and Jonny Bairstow in the fifth in one over was an indication.

RETURN OF HARDIK THE BOWLER

The team management’s persistence to get Hardik back into bowling shape has paid dividends and he was able to complete his quota in most games. His intelligent change of pace kept the England batsmen on their toes and the three wickets were a bonus.

India’s rank in the world

March 6: India no.1 in tests

March 6, 2021: The Times of India

World Test championship points table, 2021
From: March 6, 2021: The Times of India

World Test championship, points table, as on March 8, 2021
From: March 6, 2021: The Times of India

India finish on top of ICC World Test Championship standings, courtesy 3-1 series win over England

DUBAI: India finished on top of the league phase of the ICC World Test Championship standings after crushing England by an innings and 25 runs in the fourth and final Test to pocket the series 3-1.

"That victory against England means India finish the league phase of the inaugural ICC World Test Championship with a fine view from the top of the table," the ICC tweeted.

A confused England batting line-up struggled against Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin as India made it to the inaugural World Test Championship final.

India finished the league phase with 520 points, which includes 12 wins, four losses and one draw.

In the ICC World Test Championship final scheduled to be held at the iconic Lord's in June this year, India will face New Zealand.

New Zealand finished in the second spot with 420 points, including seven wins and four losses.

Australia finished third with 332 points ahead of England and Pakistan.

New Zealand home series

T20Is

India wins at Jaipur

Arani Basu, Nov 18, 2021: The Times of India

Scoreboard, New Zealand vs. India, T20Is- Jaipur, 2021
From: Arani Basu, Nov 18, 2021: The Times of India

The pull shot is Rohit Sharma’s trademark and the swirling in-swinger is Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s pride. On a nippy Thursday night in Jaipur, both unfurled their signature moves—which had deserted them for the last few months — to set the tone for India’s resounding five-wicket win over New Zealand in the first T20I.

Whenever a regime changes, the convenient assumption is to see wholesome changes and fresh faces. There’s no denying that there’s underlying anxiety a week after a soul-scarring T20 World Cup campaign. As the talks about a major transition started gaining steam, India’s veterans stepped up and announced they still have enough in them to carry Indian T20 cricket forward for a while. New T20I captain Rohit was at the forefront along with Bhuvneshwar and R Ashwin Rohit’s 48 off 36 balls in the chase of 165, Bhuvneshwar’s masterful spell of 4/24 and Ashwin’s wily spell of 4/23 was just the sense of reassurance Indian cricket needed which was on the threshold of pressing the panic button. It allowed Suryakumar Yadav, coming in at 50/1 in the sixth over, to play freely for his 40-ball 62 and anchor India’s chase, which was completed with two balls to spare.

Things did get a bit nervy towards the end for India with the wickets of Shreyas and Venkatesh Iyer but Rishabh Pant (17* off 17) held his poise to finish the job with a boundary off Daryl Mitchell. Tim Southee, Trent Boult and Lockie Ferguson applied the choke on the undercooked middle order of Pant, Shreyas and Venkatesh when India needed 21 off 20 balls after Yadav departed.

India played a perfect game for 35 overs but their biggest weakness was exposed — a lack of power-hitting finishers. New head coach Rahul Dravid and Rohit have a problem to solve right at the top of their tenure. Each of these performances came at a time when New Zealand threatened to press ahead of the game. Bhuvneshwar’s trademark in-swinger knocked over T20 World Cup hero Daryl Mitchell for a naught in the first over. Rohit’s two marauding pull shots against New Zealand’s top guns Tim Southee and Trent Boult, literally at the top of the chase, knocked the wind out of the Kiwi attack.

It was evident Rohit got under the skin of Boult. The pull shot was talking again, albeit it brought about his downfall to Boult later in the night.

Earlier, Martin Guptill and Mark Chapman got on masterfully, building a 109-run partnership. Guptill, in his 42-ball 70, had lined up the three ‘junior’ bowlers—Deepak Chahar, Mohammed Siraj and Axar Patel. Chapman had just switched to top gear in a 50-ball 63 when Ashwin intervened, deceived him in flight and putting the brakes on the scoring before Guptill miscued one to Shreyas Iyer at deep mid-wicket off Chahar.

Ashwin removed Glenn Philips with a carrom ball in the same over he had got rid of Chapman. Bhuvneshwar finished the innings with a bagful of tricks in the death, making it hard for the late middle-order to line him up. New Zealand may have been without Kane Williamson and Jimmy Neesham but India’s senior bowlers were the one under pressure to prove a point.

The series, with a turnaround time of three days post the T20 World Cup, was meant to be more of an audition for both teams, with big players resting from each side. Yet, Dravid and Rohit will be relieved that the veterans came good. They didn’t need much of debutant Venkatesh Iyer batting at No. 6. The T20 World Cup and this first T20I is enough to suggest the next line is far from ready to take on the best in the world. While one eye is on grooming the future, the present set of seniors need to ensure the process is not too painful for Indian cricket.

India wins Ranchi match, series

Sourav M, Nov 20, 2021: The Times of India

Scoreboard, New Zealand vs. India, T20Is- Raipur, 2021
From: Sourav M, Nov 20, 2021: The Times of India

Soon after winning his second consecutive toss, India’s T20 captain Rohit Sharma didn’t have any hesitation in asking New Zealand to bat. At a venue where dew starts falling quite early after sunset, that was a wise and automatic choice. Rohit was helped by his bowlers, who made a superb comeback after the Powerplay to restrict New Zealand to a modest total. Debutant Harshal Patel being the pick of the pack.

Rohit also made it clear with the toss that chasing is always better in this format, especially where dew is likely to play an important factor. He was proved right as India chased 154 with ease to win the second T20 International here at JSCA International Stadium on Friday. The victory meant India clinched the three-match series before the third T20I in Kolkata. It was the first series win under the new Rohit Sharma-Rahul Dravid captain-coach partnership.

Having restricted the Kiwis to a modest 153/6 due to some excellent bowling display by Harshal Patel (2-25) and the spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel, India struck down the target with 16 balls to spare, reaching 155/3 - thereby winning the match by 7 wickets.

Rohit continued his runscoring form, smashing 55 off 36 balls (1 four, 5 sixes), and shared a 117-run opening stand with KL Rahul, who was the top-scorer of the match with a fluent 65 off 49 balls (6 fours, 2 sixes). Rohit and Rahul started cautiously, as India reached 45 without loss at the end of the Powerplay - 19 runs behind New Zealand at the same stage. Even the next three overs went boundary-less.

But Rohit took off in the 10th over, hitting left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner twice over the boundary ropes. In the same over, Rohit went for a slog sweep only to miscue a tossed up delivery, but Trent Boult made a mess of the resulting catch and gave his Mumbai Indians skipper a reprieve.

Next over, it was time for KL Rahul to bring up his fifty, as he hit a four and six off Adam Milne. By the time Rohit and Rahul went back to the pavilion, much of the job was completed. Suryakumar Yadav lasted only two balls, but Rishabh Pant showed his flamboyance to finish off the game with two sixes in front of a jampacked stadium at Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s homeground.

In bowling, Harshal Patel did the star turn. Had it not been for an injured left-hand of Mohammed Siraj, Harshal could’ve had to wait longer for his debut. The RCB bowler’s standout performance in the middle as well as the death overs, coupled with in-form Ashwin’s miserly 1-19 and Axar Patel’s 1-26, helped India restrict New Zealand after the visitors had raced to 64/1 in the Powerplay.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1-39) and Deepak Chahar (1-42) were expensive but India did well to stifle the Kiwis with wickets at regular intervals.

Opening stands

Overseas

Dwaipayan Datta, January 2, 2022: The Times of India

Opening stands Overseas by Indian batters in 2021
From: Dwaipayan Datta, January 2, 2022: The Times of India

See graphic:

Opening stands Overseas by Indian batters in 2021

Three of India's four overseas Test wins last year were marked by strong opening partnerships

A dream that started four years ago at the Wanderers will come to fruition at the same venue in the New Year Test. There have been ups and downs along the way, but India are now one win away from winning in South Africa for the first time. And this opportunity comes after another series win in Australia and a 2-1 series lead in England.

Starting from England, where India led the series 2-1 before Covid forced a postponement of the fifth Test, to Centurion, the one pattern that has emerged in India's overseas wins is the success of their opening partnerships.

Be it at Lord's, Oval or Centurion, India have gone on to win the Test match when there has been at least one big opening partnership. In England, it was KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma while in South Africa, it's Mayank Agarwal and Rahul, who have given India the starts that have set the foundation.

At Centurion, the Mayank-Rahul partnership of 117 runs in the first innings was the difference maker. Compare that to the opening partnerships of South Africa in both innings (2 and 1), and you will know how significant those first three hours on Day 1 were when Mayank and Rahul batted. And the victory margin? Well, 113 runs. What makes it even more special is the fact that the openers involved are not exactly branded Test-match specialists. All three are successful in white ball cricket and it needed extreme adaptation on their parts to produce the goods time and time again on tough pitches against a quality pace attack with a red cherry.

"You have to learn to enjoy leaving balls. Yes, smashing the ball all around the park in white-ball cricket has its own thrills, but this is something that I had to learn," Rahul, who scored 123 and 23 to become the Man of the Match, said after the game.

Rahul, a natural stroke-player, went through a phase of extreme struggle as an opener in England in 2018, following which he was dropped from the Test team. From there, to consume 260 balls for a score of 123, speaks a lot about his perseverance. Talking about the consistency of the Indian openers in recent times, former India player WV Raman said that there has been a conscious change in their approach.

"The first thing that you'll notice in the Indian openers from the England tour is their tendency to leave a lot of balls and play close to the body. They are curbing their natural instinct to go for the expansive drive, thus minimizing the chance of edge. And when they are getting beaten, the ball is often missing the edge as well," Raman told TOI.

The former left-hander, who opened for India in the 1996-97 series when India lost 0-2, also felt that there is a conscious effort on the parts of the Indian openers to keep their bottom-hand loose. "It lends more flexibility to the shots and sometimes the edges, too, don't carry. All those things have a cumulative effect," Raman said. The consistency of the opening partnerships by India are looking all the more prominent because there is a lack of quality openers in the teams that India have played recently abroad. While England struggled badly with the likes of Rory Burns, Dom Sibley and Haseeb Hameed, Dean Elgar couldn't deal with Jasprit Bumrah in the first innings at Centurion while Aiden Markram looked a fish out of water in both.

At the other end, the class of the Indian batsmen is taking over and there is some quality guidance, too, that is making the difference. While former coach Ravi Shastri had his own way of communicating his message, Mayank revealed how Rahul Dravid insisted on playing ugly if necessary.

"The coach said that when you are playing in South Africa, often you will not look good. But it is not about looking good, it is only about sticking to your plans, be disciplined, leave as many as possible and get the runs on the board," Mayank, who scored 60 in the first innings, said.

It's up to Mayank and Rahul to keep doing the dirty job with élan at Wanderers where the challenges will be more or less similar against a South African attack that will be thirsty for revenge.

Pace attack

As in Aug 2021

The performance of India’s pace bowlers Vis-à-vis England As in 2021
From: August 18, 2021: The Times of India

See graphic:

The performance of India’s pace bowlers Vis-à-vis England As in 2021

South Africa away series

Test matches

Wanderers: South Africa beats India

Dwaipayan Datta, January 7, 2022: The Times of India

South Africa's biggest successful chases in the fourth innings at home; Teams which have successfully chased 200-plus against India, January 2022
From: Dwaipayan Datta, January 7, 2022: The Times of India

Scoreboard- South Africa vs India, 2nd test match- Wanderers, January 2022
From: Dwaipayan Datta, January 7, 2022: The Times of India

The wait continues. It’s been 30 years since India’s first tour to this part of the world, but South Africa still remain unvanquished. It may still happen in Cape Town in a week’s time, but for now there’s a sense of happiness that the South African cricket rainbow is peeping through the clouds once again.

Everything was against the Proteas as they went into a 240-run chase in the fourth innings on a pitch that was playing plenty of tricks. The Indian attack led by Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami had everything going their way and the five-hour wait on Thursday due to rain only added to the pressure of the hosts, who haven’t won anything significant of late.

But they have a leader in their ranks who believes in one motto: fight. Playing the first phase of his career under the shadow of Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis, Elgar (96*) has never been the player who the opposition is scared of. But leading South Africa into this phase of transition, the left-hander played an innings that he will probably rate as his best ever.

He took body blows against Bumrah and Shami, but showed the courage to get behind the line of the deliveries all the time. And on Thursday under overcast skies and with the ball moving around, he played as close to his body as possible and found a way to leave those deliveries around the off-stump.

While he stuck around, Elgar gave the belief to Rassie van der Dussen (40), who isn't the most technically proficient, that survival isn't impossible on this track. Van der Dussen might have lost count of the number of times he had been beaten outside the off-stump, but he didn't give his wicket away. The right-hander, in an 82-run third-wicket partnership, gave Proteas the belief that India can be beaten in a venue where they have never lost before.

It was the right-hander's back-to-back boundaries in the 50th over bowled by Shami followed by five wides that swung the momentum completely in South Africa's favour. There was a faint glimmer of hope for India when Shami finally dismissed Van der Dussen, but Shardul Thakur dropped No. 5 Temba Bavuma off his own bowling soon after that, which completely took the fight out of India.

With skies closing in and a good chance of rain on Friday, both Elgar and Bavuma decided that they had to put their feet on the accelerator. India's cause wasn't helped by the fact that paceman Siraj, struggling with a hamstring spasm he suffered on Day 1, couldn't be brought back till the 63rd over.

The Indian team also complained about the fact that the ball was getting wet due to the water in the outfield. It meant that Ashwin couldn't come into his own and the pacers, too, probably struggled to grip the ball properly. The effect of the heavy roller, too, played a part in the first hour.

Elgar and Van der Dussen looked to score at a fast clip and anything pitched up was driven with conviction. And when the Indian pacers struggled to make headway on Elgar's offstump, they drifted on middle and leg and the left-hander was prompt to put those away.

And finally when the winning runs came off Elgar's bat to make the series 1-1, there was probably a sense of happiness for all cricket fans. South African cricket, after all, is well and truly alive.

India lose match, series

K ShriniwasRao, January 15, 2022: The Times of India

Why India lost the South Africa series, January 2022
From: January 15, 2022: The Times of India

See graphic:

Why India lost the South Africa series, January 2022

India’s best chance to win in South Africa turned into their worst nightmare. They began the three-Test series in style in Centurion but failed to keep that momentum going. The result? Kohli & Co have lost 1-2 and a golden opportunity to announce their dominance in the only country where India have never won a Test series.

The glorious Table Mountain instead stayed witness to how a young and relatively inexperienced South African team stamped its authority in style on Day Four of the final Test at Newlands on Friday afternoon. Under a clear sky, chasing 212 for victory, they won the Test by seven wickets and with an air of absolute brilliance.

Keegan Petersen, a South African ‘KP’ who’s theirs to keep, led from the front. Precariously placed at 101-2, and with the ball still new, the hosts began Day Four on a cautious note. There was enough bounce in the wicket and chances kept getting created. Luck deserted India and the rest was consumed by Petersen’s elegant and determined 113-ball 82. He shuffled at the crease, saw a sitter get dropped in the slips by Pujara off a tireless Jasprit Bumrah and came extremely close to edging the moving ball.

But he stayed on. And the moment he found the space to settle, some glorious drives, punched on the front and backfoot, gradually took the session, day and match away from the visitors. Petersen eventually left and Temba Bavuma walked in to finish off the game with Rassie van der Dussen in style.

Dean Elgar, whose own contributions remained impeccable in this series, jumped in joy and so did the rest of the South African team. The scenes in and around the dressing room spoke volumes of what this team had just achieved.

The Indian shoulders dropped. They won a toss that in hindsight was better lost, went into the game a batsman short, were plain unlucky on occasions and the pitch – unfortunately for them – began easing out just when they were praying it didn’t.

Such was the state of play through the first and second session that even inside edges didn’t work, overthrows added insult to the injury, a sitter got dropped and Kohli’s men didn’t get an opportunity to verbally distract the opposition either. Petersen, Bavuma and van der Dussen had put their heads down and got to work.

The very reasons India lost in Johannesburg came back to haunt them in Cape Town – lack of enough runs on the board. In the second innings of the third Test though, the continuing poor form with the bat just worsened. Outside of Rishabh Pant’s hundred and the extras given away by South Africa, the rest of the Indian batting order contributed a mere 70 runs. That is precisely where India lost this Test.

A question that’ll be asked for long moving ahead is if India’s pace attack had lacked bite in the second and third Test. It did not lack the bite as much as it lacked precision over a sustained period of time. It is perhaps the only difference that remained between how South Africa bowled, vis-à-vis their opponents. “The right areas,” as bowling coach Paras Mhambrey had underlined after the third day’s play, were missed and Kohli admitted after the Test.

ODI series

India loses Paarl ODI

January 20, 2022: The Times of India

Scoreboard: South Africa vs. India, ODIs- Paarl, 2021

See graphic:

Scoreboard: South Africa vs. India, ODIs- Paarl, 2021

PAARL (South Africa): India opener Shikhar Dhawan on Wednesday rued the middle-order collapse after the team's loss to South Africa in the first ODI.

India loses Paarl ODI and series

Gaurav Gupta, January 2022: The Times of India

Scoreboard, South Africa vs. India: ODI- Paarl, 2022
From: Gaurav Gupta, January 2022: The Times of India

This has certainly turned out to be one of India’s worst overseas tours in recent times. They put in a slightly better show with the bat, but were again pathetic and listless with the ball, as they went down to a dominant South Africa by seven wickets in the second ODI at Boland Park in Paarl.

The defeat which made the scoreline 2-0 in the favour of the Proteas, saw them lose the ODI series with the final game still left to be played in Cape Town on Sunday. Coming on the back of the 2-1 loss in the Test series to the hosts, this hugely disappointing result marks another low for new India coach Rahul Dravid in his first overseas assignment.


Choosing to bat after winning the toss, India lost ‘former captain’ Virat Kohli for a rare ODI duck, but f inished at 287 for six thanks to a blazing knock by Rishabh Pant (85, 71b, 10zx4, 2x6), a ‘calm’ 55 by standin captain KL Rahul (55, 79b, 4x4), and a fine rearguard, 48-run unbeaten seventh wicket stand between Shardul Thakur (40 not out, 38b, 3x4, 1x6) and Ravichandran Ashwin (25 not out, 24b, 1x4, 1x6). 


Still, with Pant having got out at the wrong time, holing out to wide long on when in sight of a century, in the 33rd over, India finished around 30-odd runs short, especially considering their bowling woes.


Chasing 297, the Proteas were provided a perfect start by openers Janneman Malan (91, 108b, 8x4, 1x6) and Quinton de Kock (78, 66b, 7x4, 3x6), who added 132 in as many balls for the first wicket. 


After de Kock, who punished the Indian bowlers at will, was out lbw while trying to flick a full toss f rom Shardul Thakur, Malan added 80 off 76 balls for the second wicket with the in-form Proteas skipper Temba Bavuma (35, 36b, 3x4) to keep up the momentum.


Jasprit Bumrah trapped Malan with an off-cutter, and Bavuma was out caught and bowled by Yuzvendra Chahal, but Aiden Markram (37 not out, 41b, 4x4) and Rassie van der Dussen (37 not out, 38b, 2x4) — who scored a hundred in the last game — finished the job for South Africa with little fuss, adding 74* for the fourth wicket in 75 balls to take them home in the final over.

While almost all the bowlers appeared to be just going through the motions, the worst of the lot were the most ‘experienced’ of them — seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar (0-67 in 10 overs) and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin (0-68 in 10 overs).

The only thing positive for India from the match was provided by Pant, who cracked his career-best score in ODIs. His knock reflected the growth of a batsman who has been repeatedly criticized for his playing the wrong shot at the wrong time.

Pant started off on an edgy note, edging the first ball that he faced, which luckily fell in front of slip, as he came down the track to Keshav Maharaj. When he was batting on 3, he was involved in a horrible mix-up with Rahul, which saw both batsmen at the same end. While he was fortunate to survive as Maharaj failed to collect the throw at the non-striker’s end, Pant did invite a glare from Rahul.

He did well though to put these glitches behind quickly, beginning his familiar ‘entertainment pack- age,’ which included 10 fours and two sixes, by slog-sweeping Maharaj for a six over deep mid-wicket. With Rahul struggling to increase the pace, it was the left-hander who broke the shackles of the spinners.

How dominant the left-hander was in his 115-run stand with Rahul can be gauged by the fact that when the stand reached 100, Pant’s contribution was a grand 74!

Sri Lanka: away series

ODIs

Colombo: India wins

Gaurav Gupta, July 19, 2021: The Times of India

Scoreboard: Sri Lanka vs India- away series, ODIs- Colombo
From: Gaurav Gupta, July 19, 2021: The Times of India

The way Ishan Kishan danced down the track to lift Dhananjaya de Silva down the ground for a six off the first ball he faced in ODIs, before cutting the spinner for a four off the next delivery, reflected the mindset of India’s IPL-fuelled gen-next, which believes in an ‘attack first’ policy. Powered by a captain’s knock by Shikhar Shawan, who slammed his 33rd halfcentury (86 not out, 95b, 6x4, 1x6), a 33-ball explosive half-century by ‘birthday boy’ ‘keeper-bat Kishan (59 off 42 balls) and a 23-ball 43 blitzkrieg by opener Prithvi Shaw, India scored a comprehensive seven-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the opening ODI at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

After Kishan and Shaw’s fireworks, Dhawan finished the job with Manish Pandey (26, 40b, 1x4, 1x6) and Suryakumar Yadav (31 not out, 20b, 5x4), another ODI debutant for India on the day, chipping in. Dhawan, who went past 6,000 ODI runs, deserves praise for the way he shed his normally aggressive approach to drop anchor at one end, enabling Kishan and Shaw to score at a fast pace.

Arriving at Shaw’s fall, Kishan, carted eight fours and two sixes, to smash the second-fastest fifty by a batsman in his first game in ODIs, keeping the momentum of India’s chase going ballistic. Using his feet and dancing down the track repeatedly, Kishan, was especially harsh on the spinners. If Shaw’s innings was all about timing and placement, Kishan’s knock was about brute power. Continuing his blazing form, Shaw cracked nine sweetly-timed fours to help India race away to 58 in five overs in pursuit of 262. It was almost as if he was enjoying a ‘net session,’ stroking the ball in a sublime manner. Perhaps rattled by a blow to his head off a bouncer by Dushmantha Chameera, Shaw seemed to have lost his concentration, as he threw his wicket away, spooning off-spinner Dhananjaya to long on.

Earlier, No 8 Chamika Karunaratne stroked an unbeaten 43 off 35 balls to help Sri Lanka finish at 262 for nine after the hosts chose to bat first. Too many Sri Lankan batsmen failed to capitalize on their starts— skipper Dasun Shanaka (39), Charith Asalanka (38), Avishka Fernando (33), Minod Bhanuka (27) and Bhanuka Rajapaksa (24) were all guilty of not carrying on after getting set. Prompted by the conditions, India played three spinners, and all of them did well. The match marked the return of the leg-spin duo of Yuzuvendra Chahal and Kuldeep — a pair fondly known as ‘Kulcha.’ Reunited in an ODI for the first time since the World Cup game against England at Edgbaston in 2019, they picked four wickets between them.

India wins second ODI, series

Gaurav Gupta, July 21, 2021: The Times of India

Scoreboard, Sri Lanka vs India, 2021- second ODI at the Premadasa Stadium, 2021
From: Gaurav Gupta, July 21, 2021: The Times of India

Before this match, Deepak Chahar was known as a swing bowler. After Tuesday night, he would be known as an allrounder, who can swing a match India’s way with his bat. In a knock which will certainly make a case for his inclusion in India’s T20 World Cup squad, Chahar, whose top ODI score was 12 before Tuesday, slammed 69 not out (82b, 7x4, 1x6) batting at No. 8 to help India chase down 276 in the final over and pull off an unlikely three-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the second ODI at the Premadasa Stadium. As expected, the visitors sealed the series, with the final game on Friday now of academic interest.

Having been reduced to 193 for seven in the 36th over, India looked to be losing the game, before Chahar added 84 for the eighth wicket in 87 balls with Bhuvneshwar Kumar (19 not out, 28b, 2x4) to get victory from a hopeless position. Towards the closing stages, Chahar was hit by cramps, but the Rajasthan bowler, who took two wickets with his knuckle balls earlier in the day, didn’t let that stop him from taking his team home, as he smashed Kasun Rajitha for a four to mid-wicket off the first ball of the last over. Realising that India just needed someone to stay at the wicket, Chahar batted with a wise head, not taking any unwarranted risk.

Before Chahar’s heroics, India’s charge was kept alive by Suryakumar Yadav (53, 44b, 6x4) - who scored his maiden half-century in his second ODI - and Manish Pandey (37, 31b, 3x4), who was unlucky to be run out at the non-striker’s end as the ball ricocheted off Sri Lankan skipper Dashun Shanaka’s hands. While Sri Lanka put in a spirited show, their misery continued. It was India’s ninth consecutive win in a bilateral series over the hosts.

Earlier, Charith Asalanka (65, 68b, 6x4) and Avishka Fernando (50, 71b, 4x4, 1x6) hit half-centuries, while for the second consecutive time, Chamika Karunaratne (44 not out, 33b, 5x4), batting at No 8, produced a brilliant cameo to help Sri Lanka score 275 for nine in 50 overs. Defending the total against an in-form Indian batting line-up, Lanka thrived on the fingers of leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga, who took the key wickets of Prithivi Shaw (13), skipper Shikhar Dhawan (29) and Krunal Pandya (35, 54b, 3x4). The hosts’ gamble of introducing Hasaranga in just the third over paid off handsomely as Shaw (13), looking dangerous again, was castled while going for an expansive drive. Hasaranga later trapped Dhawan (29) lbw before taking his third wicket in the 36th over, cleaning Krunal’s stumps with a beauty.

India’s hero in the last game, ‘keeper-bat Ishan Kishan was out for just one this time, inside-edging a ball onto his stumps while trying to smash Rajitha on the off-side. Allrounder Hardik Pandya spooned Shanaka to mid wicket for a two-ball duck. Shaw took three consecutive fours off Rajitha in the first two overs— two superb straight drives followed by a typical flick to midwicket, but lost his wicket while trying to be too adventurous.

On a rare day for Indian cricket when two Indian teams were playing in two different parts of the world on the same day for perhaps the first time ever, leg-spinner Yuzuvendra Chahal and seamer Bhvneshwar took three wickets each.

After openers Minod Bhanuka (36, 42b, 6x4) and Fernando (50, 71b, 4x4, 1x6) gave Sri Lanka an excellent 77-run start in 80 balls, Chahal struck twice in two balls in the 14th over.

Sri Lanka wins 3rd ODI

Gaurav Gupta, July 24, 2021: The Times of India

Scoreboard- Sri Lanka vs India, 3rd ODI- Colombo, Premadasa Stadium, 2021
From: Gaurav Gupta, July 24, 2021: The Times of India

Riding on half-centuries by Avishka Fernando (76, 98b, 4x4, 1x6) and Bhanuka Rajapaksa (65, 56b, 12x4) and a superb show by their spinners, Sri Lanka eked out a three-wicket consolation win against a spirited India - who were playing five debutants for the first time since 1980 - in the third and final ODI on Friday at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

While the ODI scoreline finished 2-1 in India’s favour, Sri Lanka will take some heart from their first win over India in 10 ODIs at home- it was the first time they beat the Asian giants on their home turf since July 24, 2012! It should boost them going into the opening T20 International between the teams.

A superb effort by leg-spinner Rahul Chahar (3-54) and his fellow debutant, left-arm seamer Chetan Sakaria (2-34), kept India in the game, as the Lankans lost a flurry of wickets towards the close. However, the bowlers didn’t have enough runs to defend.

India were also left to rue a spate of chances they spilled in the field.

After Gowtham, another debutant, had Minod Bhanuka (7) sweeping to Sakaria at square leg, Fernando - who slammed his second halfcentury on the trot which saw him become the series’ top run-getter (159 runs in three games@53.00) - and Rajapaksa added 109 in 105 balls to put the hosts in control. The partnership ended when Rajapaksa was caught brilliantly by Gowtham at deep backward square-leg off Sakaria.

The Saurashtra seamer then caught de Silva off his own bowling, foxing the batsman with a trademark back-of-the-hand slower one. Hardik Pandya also took a wicket, but went for 43 in five overs.

Earlier, India slipped badly from a strong position, losing nine wickets for 123 runs as Sri Lanka’s spinners triggered a tremendous fightback to skittle out the visitors for 225 in 43.1 overs after the game was reduced to 47 overs to each side post a rain interruption With Prithvi Shaw (49, 45b) and Sanju Samson (46, 45b) going great guns, India were cruising at 102 for one in the 16th over, before spinners Akila Dananjaya and Praveen Jayawickrama took three wickets each on a pitch aiding turn to leave the visitors tottering at 195 for eight in the 33rd over. A dogged 29-run partnership for the ninth wicket between Navdeep Saini and Rahul Chahar enabled India to reach 225.

While the batsmen showed poor application against spin, what would disappoint coach Rahul Dravid more is that three batsmen - Shaw, Samson and Suryakumar Yadav (40, 37b,) - fell in the 40s. Also concerning is the poor form of Hardik Pandya (19), who missed the line of a turning delivery by a mile to be out lbw to Jayawickrama.

India wins 4th ODI

Gaurav Gupta, July 26, 2021: The Times of India

Scoreboard- Sri Lanka vs India, 4th ODI- Colombo, Premadasa Stadium, 2021
From: Gaurav Gupta, July 26, 2021: The Times of India

Bouncing back from their defeat in the final ODI, India outplayed Sri Lanka by 38 runs in the opening T20 International at the R Premadasa Stadium, taking a 1-0 lead in the series.

A superb half-century by the in-form Suryakumar Yadav (50, 34b, 5x4, 2x6) and a 46-run knock (36b, 4x4, 1x6) by skipper Shikhar Dhawan helped India put up 164 for five as Sri Lanka put in a decent performance with the ball after electing to field first.

However, a shoddy performance by the bat, bar Charith Asalanka, who smashed a quickfire 44 (26b, 3x6, 3x4) on his debut, saw the hosts crash to 126 all out in the 19th over. Asalanka showed some fight as he struck a few big blows, but once paceman Deepak Chahar had him caught at deep mid wicket and then castled Wanindu Hasaranga in a double-strike in the 16th over, India had the game in the bag.

While Bhuvneshwar Kumar picked four for 22, the pick of the Indian bowlers was leg-spinner Yuzuvendra Chahal, who bowled 10 dot balls while giving away just 19 runs in four overs. The way he castled a bamboozled Dhananjaya de Silva with a ‘jaffa,’ which pitched near leg stump but went on to kiss the off stump, was excellent, displaying the high quality of this world-class bowler.

As expected, India gave a maiden international cap to ‘mystery spinner’ Varun Chakravarthy, who showed a bit of promise while taking one for 28 in four overs.

Earlier, pacer Dushmantha Chameera and leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga bowled superbly, taking two wickets each as Lanka took the pace off the ball in damp conditions to keep India in check.

Surya shines

Meanwhile, ‘Surya’ continues to go from strength to strength. Having just been named the ‘Player of the Series’ in the ODIs, the Mumbaikar carried on with his sizzling form, smashing the Lankan bowlers to all parts of the ground as he added 62 for the third wicket in just 48 balls with Dhawan to help India shrug off the losing the wickets Prithvi Shaw, who went for a first ball duck on his T20I debut, and Sanju Samson (27, 20b, 2x4, 1x6). The only worry for India would be another poor show by allrounder Hardik Pandya, who failed to force the pace in a laboured 12-ball 10 in the slog overs and went for 17 in two overs, picking up a wicket.

‘Sky’ seems to be on top of the bowling from word go these days. On Sunday, his second half-century in his first four T20I innings had all his trademark shots which make him such a dangerous batsman in limited overs cricket. A ‘helicopter style’ flick over mid wicket, a cover drive, a scoop displayed his class, but the shot that stood out was a sweep that saw him go down on one knee to pick up a Chamika Karunaratne delivery from outside the off-stump to the square leg fence.

U-19 Asia Cup

India wins record eighth title

Aakash Arya, Dec 31, 2021: NDTV

India Beat Sri Lanka To Win U-19 Asia Cup

U-19 Asia Cup: Reactions poured in as India defeated Sri Lanka by nine wickets (DLS Method) to win the U-19 Asia Cup title.

Year 2021 ended on the right note for the U-19 Indian cricket team as it lifted the U-19 Asia Cup after beating Sri Lanka by nine wickets (DLS Method) in a match that was interrupted by rain on Friday in Dubai. Batting first, the Sri Lanka U-19 side was reduced to 106/9 in 38 overs as rain played spoilsport in the final. Vicky Ostwal bowled brilliantly to claim three wickets for 11 runs in eight overs. In reply, the India U-19 side was set a revised target of 102 runs which it eventually chased down in 21.3 overs with nine wickets remaining.

Opening batter Angkrish Raghuvanshi (56*) played a fine knock as India chased without much fuss.

Reactions poured in after India U-19's stupendous title win. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and president Sourav Ganguly also congratulated the team on the win.

World Test Championship

Ahmedabad: India wins series 3-1, enters WTC final

K ShriniwasRao, March 7, 2021: The Times of India

India vs New Zealand, Ahmedabad- test match, India wins series 3-1, enters WTC final
From: March 7, 2021: The Times of India

Scoreboard, India vs New Zealand, Ahmedabad- test match, 2021
From: K ShriniwasRao, March 7, 2021: The Times of India

'See graphics:

India vs New Zealand, Ahmedabad- test match, India wins series 3-1, enters WTC final

Scoreboard, India vs New Zealand, Ahmedabad- test match, 2021

Temperatures have been soaring here to such an extent that even the Sabarmati flowing from right next to Motera can’t keep things cool anymore. After grinding it out for close to 262 minutes between Friday and Saturday in these conditions, and facing 174 balls, the very impressive Washington Sundar was left stranded at 96, four runs short of what would’ve been an excellent century.

As badly as that would have hurt, Sundar can instead take respite from the fact that his innings eventually helped India win the fourth Test by an innings and 25 runs and pocket the series 3-1 to book their much-deserving place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final later this year. India now lead the WTC table with 520 points after playing six series and winning four of them, while New Zealand, having played five series and won three, have 420 points.

Coming back to the Test, it was painful to watch Washington take the long walk back to the dressing room after he ran out of partners. His 106-run partnership with fellow-spinner Axar Patel – India’s second-highest in this Test after the 113-run stand between Pant and Washington – had all but taken the game away from England.

On a track where he batted with effortlessness against pace and spin, England crumbled to bits in 54.5 overs. The pitch cannot be blamed this time. It was just poor batting. The batsman in Patel too joined the part alongside Washington. His 97-ball 43 was a patient knock that allowed both batting partners to settle down well in the early half of the day and take the toll on England. By the time England walked out to bat, even the gatekeepers at this newly constructed stadium knew they wouldn’t be working early morning on Sunday. Barring Joe Root’s rickety 30 and Dan Lawrence’s 50, none of the English batsmen went past 15. Crawley 5, Sibley 3, Bairstow duck (golden), Stokes 2, Pope 15, Foakes 13 – fell like nine-pins. Each dismissal, the result of an error caused by a relentless and skilful spin attack. Coach Ravi Shastri heaped generous praise on his team and said the eventual score-line did justice to how India have played Test cricket over the last couple of years, also adding how the entire Indian camp would now look forward to the Test Championship final.It’s been an arduous journey for this team and the coaching and support staff, staying inside bio-bubbles without any contact with the outside world for close to three-and-half-months and facing serious challenges on and off the field.

“These are tough times. We’ve not seen anything like this since the second world war. They’ve overcome all challenges to be here and achieve this. It’s been simply magnificent,” Shastri told match broadcasters after the game. To bring about their series performances to a perfect culmination of sorts, Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel — both bowlers having got to England’s nerves the last two weeks – walked away with five wickets each in the second innings. Ashwin, in the process, recording his 30th five-wicket haul.

Pant for his brilliant, game-changing century and some remarkable wicketkeeping, and Ashwin for his 32 wickets and 189 runs, were named the Man of the Match and the Man of the Series.

India loses World Test Championship final to NZ

Partha Bhaduri, June 24, 2021: The Times of India

Indian batsmen in WTC cycle, as in June 2021
From: Partha Bhaduri, June 24, 2021: The Times of India

Scoreboard, World Test Championship final, June 2021
From: Partha Bhaduri, June 24, 2021: The Times of India

And in the end, under the bright Southampton sky, there was only gloom for India as a deserving New Zealand basked in the glow of being crowned first-ever world Test champions.

It was a tense, nervy affair throughout with the ball dominating, but the safe bats of Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor eventually guided this golden generation of Kiwi cricketers past a paltry yet tricky target of 139 and to an 8-wicket win, the team’s first ICC title since 2000, also against India in Nairobi.

The runs didn’t come easy after R Ashwin cracked the top order open, but the target was too small, the Kiwi resolve too great and the overs available, ironically after two days of washout, simply too many. Bumrah dropping Williamson, and Pujara dropping Taylor at slip, were late reminders of India’s miserable day.

India simply couldn’t bat long enough. The fact that Virat Kohli’s men lost inside four days of actual cricket will give them pause ahead of the long English summer. The Kiwis clearly had the edge in these conditions and started as favourites, but hindsight can be a merciless beast.

The lack of match practice in England hurt them but shouldn’t India have played an extra batsman in Hanuma Vihari? Should Mohammed Siraj have got a game? What could the batsmen have done to upset the rhythm of the relentless Kiwi pacers?

Importantly, how can Virat Kohli silence his inner demons against the sizeable abilities of Kyle Jamieson, who bowled 84 balls to India’s captain in the WTC cycle, gave away 30 runs and dismissed him thrice, including twice here?

When will the Indian middleorder (Nos. 3, 4 and 5 averaged 24 in this Test) rediscover form? Can opener Shubman Gill, who averages 12.66 from his last 7 innings, turn it around soon? And how many times will Nos. 9, 10 and 11, who average 21 since 2018, the worst in the world, be required to make contributions with the bat overseas?

The answers will arrive in due course but it will rankle this proud Indian team, which has towered over the rest of the Test pack for a few years now, that this was their game to save on the sixth morning. They faltered, providing only an erratic exhibition of batsmanship, full of either circumspection or injudicious strokeplay.

Only Rishabh Pant’s out-of-thebox survival tactics, stemming from a bizarre mix of bravado, adrenaline and sheer anxiety, offered hope. Dropped by Southee at second slip on 5, Pant walked brazenly into Wagner’s deliveries and tried countering the bowler’s sustained short-ball barrage with reverse pulls and unique ramp shots. It was an original approach but not the calm touch India needed and it was never meant to last.

Add a couple of dismissals against the run of play, bats hanging out to dry, and it is clear why India folded for 170 in their second innings. Their hesitancy was testimony to the Kiwi attack’s rare ability to plant the seed of doubt in the batsmen.

Kohli, anxious about the nip-backer from Jamieson, was first beaten repeatedly by deliveries which held their line, later inducing the loose shot to a wide one angling away. Kohli’s caution was understandable, since from the start of 2018 he averages only 22.35 against balls deviating into him, and he batted a long way down to negate the LBW. That he fell fishing would have infuriated him.

Pujara, meanwhile, didn’t commit to a defensive shot and there was another strange, soft dismissal for Rahane.

Plans will be redrawn ahead of the England Tests. For the moment, India have slipped when it mattered, leaving them to wonder what could have been if this WTC Final had been staged at home. No one, after all, remembers who came second.