India's middle and lower order papers over top order cracks yet again

Rohit Sharma – the all-format India captain and one of the most graceful stroke-makers our game has ever seen. Shubman Gill – the heir apparent to the global batting throne and someone who seems to have the world at his feet. Cheteshwar Pujara – the modern-day reincarnation of Rahul Dravid. And of course, Virat Kohli – proclaimed the king by many and expected to be this great all-format batter who dominates wherever he goes.

The aforementioned individuals were India’s top four in the first innings of their World Test Championship final against Australia. Pedigree, thus, was not a problem. Reputation was not an issue. Run-scoring, though, was and it has become a bit of a worry in tough conditions.

And while some pitches have, quite notably, been difficult to bat on, this is why they get paid the big bucks, and why they have millions of fans around the world – it is because of the runs they have the ability to score.

Now, look at this.

Ajinkya Rahane – a batter who has found his place questioned more often than not in the past few years, and someone, who even at his peak, was not the box-office draw as those who batted before him in the order. Ravindra Jadeja – a genuine three-dimensional cricketer and a match-winner, who still does not really get the respect he deserves. And Shardul Thakur – a player who only shot to the Test limelight because almost everyone else who could bowl pace was injured on that tour down under.

None of these will ever win a social media battle against the likes of Kohli, Rohit, and maybe Gill. Had the troika of Jadeja, Rahane, and Shardul not come to their much-vaunted top order’s rescue, India would be staring down the abyss, and an embarrassing defeat at The Oval.

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The easy way out, of course, would be to label this middle and lower-order resistance as some sort of anomaly. That, though, could not be farther from the truth. The personnel might have changed but the pattern has remained.

India's top order has not been in great form since 2021

Since the start of 2021, 20 players have played five or more Tests for India. Among those, Rishabh Pant has the highest average. In fact, there is no top-order batter (barring Rohit) in the top five – the others being Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, and Shreyas Iyer. All of them have scored more than 500 runs too, indicating these averages are not flashes in the pan.

Back in 2021, the last time India were at The Oval, their top order had crumbled in the first innings. Shardul, having featured in just a handful of Tests, rescued them with a half-century.

India went on to win that game and the lasting image is of Rohit scoring a second-innings ton and Jasprit Bumrah producing utter magic on the last day. Take those lower-order runs away, and India might not have been in a position to fight at all.

When the Men In Blue toured South Africa in 2021-22, they were on the wrong end of two fourth-innings run-chases. The bowlers, understandably, received flak for their failure to close out the game.

But in the third Test, when India could have set up the game, their glamorous batting line-up failed. Rishabh Pant was the only batter to emerge with some distinction, scoring a magnificent hundred. The others managed 98 runs between them.

In the home series against Australia earlier this year, Axar was the star of the show, bailing India out on multiple occasions. At Nagpur, Rohit laid the foundation with a sumptuous hundred but none of the others in the top order really contributed significantly.

Top-order runs, for context, are very important because it pushes the opposition back instantly. They have to play their best bets early and if the top order hangs around long enough and scores enough runs, they do not have much left in the tank by the time the freer-scoring lower middle order comes out to bat.

At home, because India’s spinners are so good, they have been able to offset the lack of top-order runs. Away from home, though, there is a greater chance for problems to arise – as it has done at The Oval in the WTC final against Australia.

The other, and slightly deeper issue this leads to is how the bowling unit is constituted. Bowlers are often evaluated for their ability to bat, rather than their ability to bowl. While having three-dimensional cricketers is not bad, compromising bowling strength to have more batting security does not feel right either. And when the batting fails, the tendency is to replace the bowlers.

It has, of course, not cost the Men In Blue a lot. There is a reason why they are contesting the WTC final and why many other teams are at home watching. But when push comes to shove, especially in clutch situations, the lack of runs from the top start hurting.

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Jadeja, Rahane, and Shardul, because of their efforts in the face of adversity, have ensured that India still have a chance. But rather than building on the foundation set by the top order, it only papered over yet another batting crack.

Whatever the result, that must change from an Indian perspective. It has gone on far too long. When you look at who usually makes up their top order, it makes this entire pattern, for the lack of a better word, unacceptable.

They still have a chance to redeem themselves at The Oval. If you have watched this sport long enough, you know you can never say never. And if India’s top order does turn things around, they must keep doing it. Over and over again.