Victory inside four days must have been the last thing on the minds of the Indian team when the Mohali Test began. The Indians were without regular opener KL Rahul, who had sustained yet another injury, and wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha. And then they lost the toss and had to bowl first.
The Indian team had created a template of sorts for matches at home. All they needed to do was win the toss, bat first, set up a decent first innings score and let the pitch and spinners do the rest. Mohali, however, did not follow that pattern.
After England batted first and put up a fairly respectable 283, the pressure was on India. Batting last is always a risky proposition on Indian pitches, especially when you are without two of your regular batsmen. So the Indians simply had to gain a substantial first innings lead.
However, at 204 for six, they were on the verge of handing England full control of the match. But as has transpired on numerous occasions over the past few seasons, India’s lower order batsmen rose to the challenge and pulled the rug from under England’s feet.
Remaining two Tests
- Fourth Test - Mumbai: December 8-12
- Fifth Test - Chennai: December 16-20
Half centuries from spinners Ravi Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Jayant Yadav were worth their weight in gold and gave the hosts a hefty lead of 134. Once Ashwin picked up three top order wickets late on Day Three, the game was all but over. England’s injured batsman Haseeb Hameed batted down the order and scored a defiant half century but couldn’t set a target bigger than 103, which proved too easy for the Indians.
So, what are the positives for India following this victory?
First, they won a match after starting clearly on the back foot. They were sloppy in the field on the first day and their top order faltered in the first innings. But they stuck to the task and never let England run away with the game.
The role of India’s all-rounders can’t be emphasised enough. All three spinners have been superb with the bat and ball for India and are proving to be the biggest difference between the two sides.
The stability and cushion they offer is making up for the sudden drop in form of opener MuraliVijay and middle order batsman Ajinkya Rahane.
What must also please the Indian management is the way pacer Mohammed Shami has bowled this series. He has been quick, hostile and managed to move the new and old ball more than any other seamer. Moreover, the way he bounced out Chris Woakes and Adil Rashid yesterday proves that he has a few tricks up his sleeve when it comes to plotting a batsman’s downfall.
India’s win in the Vizag Test was more or less on expected lines, especially after they scored 455 in the first innings on a bone dry surface. But in Mohali, they didn’t have everything going their way. Fast bowlers were very much in the hunt during the third Test and the Indians outplayed the visitors in every department of the game. It was without doubt one of the finest performances by the team in recent times.
England will have a lot to think about and will be heartbroken by the news of Hameed’s finger injury that has ruled him out of the series. They had a great chance to put the Indians under pressure but failed to capitalise on the opportunity in India’s first innings.
For India, it was a job well done and Virat Kohli now knows his team can overcome any difficulty, be it injuries, conditions or toss.