The first day’s play at the famous Old Trafford ground in Manchester had a delayed start, because of a slight drizzle. The overcast conditions and the green wicket, which looked pretty much the quickest pitch in the series so far, provided enough cues for the captain winning the toss to decide to bowl first. But India’s captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni surprised cricket experts, commentators, media personnel and possibly his own teammates by choosing to bat first on this pitch, in conditions so favorable to seam bowling. And what happened in the rest of the day was only too predictable.
It seems the ghosts of India’s disastrous England tour of 2011 have not yet been exorcised and yesterday they came back in full strength. Starting with opening batsman Gautam Gambhir, once considered to the future of Indian cricket and a potential captain, who was destroyed by the 2011 tour and his career has never since recovered. Gambhir was picked over the misfiring Shikhar Dhawan, and it was hoped that he would give the team a solid start. But he failed to do so, getting out just for 4 in very familiar fashion – getting squared up by a rising Stuart Broad delivery to get caught at gully by Joe Root. Soon, in the very next over, Murali Vijay got a delivery from James Anderson that can only be described as a “jaffa”, that landed on mid-wicket and start to move out, to which Vijay could only edge and hand a simple catch to captain Alastair Cook at first slip.
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Virat Kohli walked in. Kohli has had a disastrous tour of England and his reputation as a world beating batsman has been severely damaged by it. It only went worse for him, if that was even possible, as he lasted only 2 balls before edging Anderson to Cook at the slips. Out for a duck. India had lost 3 wickets for 8 runs, and many thought that the lowest score ever by India, 42 in a tour of England by the team in 1970s, was under great threat, as Cheteswar Pujara, right on cue, edged Stuart Broad to Chris Jordan at second slip. Pujara is the other top Indian batsman, who like Kohli has had a miserable tour, and finds his reputation severely tarnished.
So, it was 8 for 4. A horrible score. MS Dhoni walked in and not many expected much from the Indian skipper, as he has never done much in bowler friendly conditions as a batsman. But Ajinkya Rahane was in great form. Rahane and Dhoni brought some respectability to the score, sharing a half century partnership, before Rahane too was out, caught in the slip cordon off Chris Jordan’s bowling, just minutes before lunch, leaving India at 62 for 5, going to lunch.
Ravindra Jadeja walked in ahead of the more technically accomplished batsman Ravichandran Ashwin, which was a surprise. Jadeja got out to his old enemy Anderson, trapped hopelessly leg before wicket. Ashwin came in for his first Test of the tour and did remarkably well, looking highly comfortable against the England bowling, making a quick 40, which is also his Test average, remarkable because he is a lower order batsman, before giving it all up, hooking Stuart Broad for a comfortable catch at deep midwicket. By then, Ashwin and Dhoni has shared a quick 66-run partnership and were both looking good. It was sad to see Ashwin give it away with such a poor shot.
Dhoni flashed around, completed his half century, but the Indian innings didn’t last too long, as the team was all out for just 152, even before lunch. A horrible start to the fourth Test, which is of so much importance to both sides. A record 6 Indian batsmen were dismissed without scoring.
England lost Sam Robson soon enough when they came out to bat, clean bowled by a Bhuvneshwar Kumar inswinger. But they still looked quite comfortable before Alastair Cook was caught at deep midwicket, hooking new player Varun Aaron, who was India’s replacement to the mediocre Mohammad Shami. Aaron was sensational, super quick, bowling consistently at 90 mph. Indeed, Aaron was the quickest bowler in this Test, faster than even the English bowlers. Which makes the decision taken by the Indian team management to play him so late in the series and choosing extremely mediocre bowlers ahead of him looks very poor. The boy has serious pace, is high quality and should have been India’s first pick from day one of the series.
Ian Bell and Gary Ballance survived against Aaron and had no trouble from the other bowlers, with Bell hitting a memorable straight six off Ashwin’s bowling. But Aaron still got something back for India, getting Ballance trapped in front of the wicket, just before the day’s close. Bell remains unbeaten on a solid 45, and England had already made 113 for 3, just 39 runs behind India’s score. England would want to press home the advantage when the match resumes later today.
