India's pokes, prods and heaves squander series-defining advantage
England will start Day 3 of the second Test against India 245 runs behind the visitors' first innings total, three wickets down and possibly one Joe Root dismissal away from a collapse. Oddly enough, they are in this position after a strong Day 2 - throwing light on what could have been for India.
As the Lord's pitch became more docile to bat on, India overcompensated by sacrificing caution for adventurism, only to rein themselves in from a total in excess of 450. The likes of Ajinkya Rahane, Mohammad Shami and KL Rahul spooned catches or nicked off to unthreatening deliveries, while Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja got out against the run of play trying to force the pace.
These dismissals were in stark contrast with the admirable patience and skill shown by the Indian openers, and in some part by the Indian captain Virat Kohli, on Day 1. With a tinge of grass visible on the pitch, and expert swing bowler James Anderson in operation, Rahul and Rohit Sharma took their time before pouncing on the loose ones. In fact, it really needed Anderson to pull out a special variation to deceive Rohit and send him on his way, short of a well-deserved hundred.
Although Rahul's dismissal reeked of being casual - he had timed the previous ball well, adjusting to the pace of the pitch, but then timed a drive straight to the waiting cover fielder - he can barely be faulted for his efforts overall on return to the Test team. What is a spot of bother, however, is the continued failure of the much-vaunted Indian middle order, and poor contributions from India down the order.
India's middle-order batters struggle with their off stump
Cheteshwar Pujara is a pale shadow of the behemoth we witnessed in Australia in 2018/19, and to a different extent in 2020/21. The focused blocker and accumulator has made way over the past two series for a nervous prodder - with little idea of where his next run may come from, and a lack of assuredness in his defence. Twice on this tour, he has nicked off to James Anderson - however, in the second Test, he edged one well outside the off stump.
Although Virat Kohli registered a non-zero score in this innings, and got past a few nervous moments at the start to stitch together a 117-run partnership, his dismissal was a familiar one. Ollie Robinson bowled one in the fourth-stump channel, which seems to unsettle Kohli regardless of the stage of the innings he is batting at. India's captain and No. 4 batsman is firmly stuck in a prolonged white-ball rut, and more patience and control outside the off stump is crucial to get out of it.
India's Test vice-captain, over the last few years, has shown imperious form in a few innings (112 at the MCG in 2020, 67 on a turning track in Chennai in 2021) but looked out of sorts in several others. Stuck in a defensive shell for 22 balls at the close of Day 1, he was unable to adjust to the pace of the wicket on Day 2 and edged his first ball of the day to the 'keeper. James Anderson's delighted, surprised reaction said it all - the ball was well outside off, not express pace, and definitely not worthy of an Indian middle-order wicket.
The Jadeja-Pant partnership, and India's tail of woes
Since Sydney 2021, Rishabh Pant has had his fair share of rescuing to do, and has done a remarkable job in most cases. In 2021, he has an average close to 52, with a hundred and three scores in and around the nineties. Since the home series against England, though, his numbers have dipped, and he has struggled to convert his aggressive, promising starts into big scores.
Although Pant is still in the hitting form of his life, the careful selection of deliveries to go after, that was masterfully exhibited during the tour of Australia, seems to have diminished a little. At Trent Bridge, Pant was out trying to push at a slightly shorter delivery, and at Lord's, a quick back-of-a-length ball caught the edge of his attempted slash through point. Given Pant's lack of significant batting support in the middle order and the tail, India can ill-afford their in-form 'keeper-batter making rash decisions.
A growingly important pair for India are the southpaw duo of Pant and Jadeja. Tasked with arresting a collapse in both the ICC World Test Championship Final and in this match, the partnership prevented a further slide, but could not add a large enough quantum of runs to India's tally. In contrast to the young Pant, Jadeja has shown remarkable patience in dealing with accurate pace bowling, but has struggled to shift through the gears when needed.
In this match, the challenge of batting with the tail - particularly that of India in this Test - was laid bare, and unfortunately Jadeja did not quite match up to the task. Batting with Ishant Sharma, Jadeja occupied the strike, but wasn't able to find the boundaries, or regularly place the ball to take twos. The result was a familiar whittling away of the tail, with Jadeja himself the last wicket to fall as a result of a top-edged heave. India's star all-rounder in this format needs to pose a stiffer challenge to the opposition in order for the strategy of batting with the tail to yield returns.
Ultimately, India remained in the ascendancy in the second Test, as Mohammed Siraj and Mohammad Shami removed England's top order. However, if England do recover to a position of strength, India will be left ruing their ill-advised pokes, prods and heaves which gave the opposition a way back into the game.