Finally, James Anderson’s prediction of achieving the target in 60-70 overs proved to be correct. However, the conclusion unfolded in a slightly different manner than anticipated. Jasprit Bumrah, true to his nature, played a pivotal role as a crisis manager for India at the series-level victory, while Anderson helplessly watched from a distance of 22 yards.
This led to a strangely tangled end to the Test match, where India maintained its lead from the time the coin went up, but remained stuck in the same course throughout the game. However, the threat of danger forced them to repeatedly look over their shoulders.
On the last day, beneath the mist of the winter on India’s eastern coast, another intense saga unfolded, bringing these two opposing forces to the forefront. Ultimately, old orthodoxies and continental conservatism clashed against new ways of making an impact.
Truth be told, in India, 332 runs are quite a formidable target for a Test match on the fourth day. At the end of the third day, Shubman Gill had suggested a 30% chance of achieving such a target. This was a three-part task: the brilliance of the ball, England’s recent success, and the fact that the pitch in Visakhapatnam, despite some cracks, didn’t deteriorate to an unplayable level.
While the climax seemed familiar – India winning by more than 100 runs – the script was altered midway as England dared to dream until the very end.
At the start of the day’s play, with the moisture-laden seam bowling from the previous two mornings, Bumrah was always looming large as a threat. However, England weathered the storm of the first five overs without any damage. Interestingly, India opted for the strategy of joining them with the plan of saving Patel for the second new ball. Nightwatchman Rehan Ahmed successfully scored two boundaries off them, and after half an hour of play, England was comfortably placed at 95/1, steadily progressing. Rehan’s bizarre dismissal, although a strange misjudgment, had set the direction for chasing the target with his quick 23 runs.
Yet, as a species, Indian bowlers rarely perform better on home soil. In such situations, they don’t seem to know as well as they should. At least Ashwin and Bumrah did not. Keeping the Test team in mind, Ashwin had a strange performance in the first few days, missing a wicket for the first time in a home Test innings after 2019. But he was on the board again in the second innings. When asked, and late on the third day, his wicket of Ben Duckett reunited him with an old ally – the bounce – which was missing in Hyderabad.
To make sense of Ashwin’s gifts, a pitch like this was necessary. The domestic ground didn’t offer as much turn on the fourth day wicket as he might have seen, and England’s impressive perspective reduced the number of fielders around the bat. So, Ashwin turned to his other skills: flight, dip, and bounce. It might not have the same excitement and drama as Ollie Pope and Joe Root trying to decipher the mysteries of Indian spinners, but it was intriguing to see them advance in defense after identifying the threat.
The magic of the turn troubled Root greatly as he struggled against the new setup. Pope fell victim to a delivery that had enough extra bounce, resulting in a brilliant catch by Rohit Sharma at slip. Between them, Root and Pope played only 31 balls for 39 runs, with 34 of those coming as boundaries.
As Crawley, Ben Foakes, and later Tom Hame played in the evening, there was an opportunity in Test cricket to temper their approach, control emotions, and put a check on exuberance. For a moment, it seemed a bit easier for India after worrying them.
Once Ashwin got into action, England found themselves in trouble, especially with the inevitable threat of Bumrah’s old-ball spell. They couldn’t cope. It reiterated a truth about Test cricket – the team with a potent and varied attack will always triumph.
Despite the rising death toll, credit goes to England for staying strong. It was another example of their teams strengthening themselves for the ups and downs of their game without worrying too much about the potential obstacles of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum. For more than a decade, no visiting team captain has been found who could deploy sweepers on both sides of the wicket and play a defensive, run-saving game. So, as we head to Rajkot for the next encounter, the story of this delicately prepared series is ready to unfold in any way.
