England and India played out a fantastic Test match in Leeds. In a game of constant ebbs and flows, it was England who delivered the final knockout punch on the final day and drew first blood in the series. The hosts are 1-0 up despite having two centurions in the Test match. India, on the other hand, had five centurions in the Test match but still lost the Test match.
India created an unwanted record on Tuesday as they became the first team to lose a Test match despite having five individual hundreds in their ranks. It just goes onto show that how you play as a team wins you the game and not individual scores of the players. This record is far from ideal if you are an Indian fan and part of the Indian team.
Centuries are always special whether the team wins or not
Centuries in Test Cricket is the ultimate prize for a batter. He always wants to do well and take on the bowling. India had five centurions in the entire match and each of those knocks were really special. They tried to set up the match for India to win but the Indians could not really close it out. There were three centurions in the first innings.
The first among them was Yashasvi Jaiswal who showed tremendous resolve on the opening day and then played attacking shots to score 101 off 158 balls with 16 fours and a six to his name. His Test match got worse and worse as he dropped a total of 4 catches and that came back to haunt India towards the end. But with the bat, he has made sure that he is someone India can be counting onto going forward in the series. There are no complaints about his batting.
Captain Shubman Gill also led from the front and scored a majestic 147 off 227 balls. He hit 19 fours and a six in the innings. The captain led from the front and showed that he can let the bat do the talking and cement his place at Number 4. He is on the right track of doing well in this big long series.
Rishabh Pant is a generational talent as far as Test Cricket is concerned. He scored hundreds in each innings and got himself into the record books. He became the first Indian keeper batter to score hundreds in each innings and the second wicketkeeper to score hundreds in each innings after Andy Flower. He scored 134 off 178 balls in the first innings with 12 fours and 6 sixes to his name.
In the second innings, Rishabh followed it up by scoring 118 off 140 balls with 15 fours and 3 sixes to his name. Both his innings were breath-taking and while he was there, India were controlling the game and taking it away from England. After his dismissal, things went south for India.
The ever-dependable and the most experienced batter from the Indian team KL Rahul also scored an important ton in the second innings and held the innings together for India till he was there in the crease. He scored his 9th Test hundred and his 3rd in England. He has 6 hundreds in SENA countries as well. Rahul is the glue to this batting line up with others playing around him. His knocks in the next few games may well determine India’s fortunes in the Test series. He used his experience to do well in this Test match.
India’s hyping tendency of individuals hurting Indian cricket
India had five centurions in the Leeds Test and still they could not cross the finishing line which is really sad and not ideal. But the Indians and Indian public as a whole is responsible for this as individual records of players are widely celebrated than the team. Cricket is a team game and England showed that yesterday with a 5-wicket win. They had only two centurions but performed as a cohesive unit to beat India in the final hour of the game.
In India, there is a tendency to look at individual records and performances in a team and not the whole team. Currently, the Indian team seems to be insecure under Gautam Gambhir the coach. The players seem to be interested in scoring their own runs and take own wickets while not worried about the team and how they will perform as a team. That is what it seems to be the case especially after the retirement of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. The way they were told to take retirements has left the others insecure and want to do well for themselves.
Gautam Gambhir himself does not like superstar cultures, but this is what is happening in the Indian team at present. There seems to be lack of unity among players and the coach seems to be running the show from dressing room and the captain Gill is not being allowed freedom to captain the side. Even in the media, the individual records are highlighted and given too much coverage. This is hurting Indian cricket and may continue to do so in the future if things are not fixed soon.
The Road Ahead
India will look to pick themselves up in a week’s time when the second Test match gets underway in Edgbaston on Wednesday, the 2nd of July. England are 1-0 up and have drawn first blood in the series. India will hope to bounce back not only through change of personnel but also change of mindset as well. The Indians need to be mentally tough and being more consistent in their play. Doing well in patches won’t help the Indians. England’s gameplan is simple. Play the same way and get the desired results. They have very less areas to worry about.
It was a thrilling Test match to start the Anderson-Tendulkar trophy. We will hope and expect more of the same in the coming four matches as things will heat up. Can India bounce back? Only time will tell.
Also Read:Â ENG vs IND: Can India Seal The Deal- The Final Day Stern Challenge Awaits?