The young Indian batsman has failed to apply himself to the English condition
India's Virat Kohli walks off the field of play after losing his wicket
Mumbai: How does one rationalize yet another mind-boggling collapse by India on the first day of the Oval Test? There can be detailed and complex explanations. For the present, I’ll choose the simplistic route: India have been technically exposed, look tactically lost but perhaps most pertinently, mentally gone.Miraculous turnarounds are not unknown in sport and as I write this the second day’s play is yet to begin.
If India can restrict England to a minor lead, if the batting comes good finally in the second innings, there’s a slim chance that the series can still be squared. The difficulty quotient of this, of course, is in direct proportion to the iffs and buts mentioned in the narrative. Which brings me to captain M S Dhoni who has been under a great deal of flak as India have plunged from a position of dominance into near hopelessness. Not entirely unwarranted because some of his tactics have been truly baffling. But to dump all the blame on him for the disasters is to the miss the plot.
If the top order can’t last even an hour, and the entire team musters just about 150 runs in three successive innings, what can the captain do? Indeed, such has been the consistency of failures that it has left everybody fan and expert surprised.Who would have thought that Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli rated as two of the best young batsmen in the world — would be reduced to trembling novices? More disturbing is the sameness of dismissals in inning after inning. Kohli is a prime example repeatedly caught in the slip cordon suggesting that he is still unsure of where his off-stump and very little learnt from failure.
What’s most bothering, however, is the utter lack of gumption in the Indian batsmen. Technique can be taught and fitness can be improved. But how does on instill courage and resilience in a player? Dhoni’s dominant bottom hand, unorthodox technique makes him a prime target in conditions where the ball swings late or seams a fair bit off the pitch. Yet, he has grappled with the extenuating circumstances in a never-say-die manner that is admirable.
Apart from Murali Vijay nobody has spent more time, faced more deliveries or scored more runs than Dhoni. He has played and missed often, taken several blows on his body, but has been stubbornly resolute in the middle. Sadly, his example has been lost on his main batsmen who have surrendered ignominiously. Dhoni must come under the lens for being unable to inspire his team collectively to come out of a rut. But beyond the basics, he certainly can’t pass on courage to his main batsmen to play in hostile conditions. That has to come from within.
Of course the English bowlers have been superb, particularly James Anderson who seems at the top of his craft currently. His control over line, length, swing and seam movement has been exemplary. The bowling has been highly nuanced, almost an exhibition of fine art — but no less hostile and destructive for that.Cricket history shows some bowlers acquiring a psychological ascendancy because of their skills and/or hostility that opposing batsmen keel over at their mere presence.
Anderson is in the same category in this series even if he does not have the same pace as Johnson. On seeing him, the body language of the Indian batsmen seems to change: it becomes all uneasy shuffles and shifty looks. The pupils seem to dilate, like rabbits trapped in front of headlights. It is always a treat to watch a maestro like Anderson at work. But the abject failure of Kohli and Co. has been an eyesore. So far, not only have the Indian batsmen been technically exposed, but also shown up to be spineless, which can have a more damaging long-term setback.
( Source : ayaz memon )
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