INDIA TOUR OF ENGLAND, 2018

India submit to old habits and throw in the towel

by Vishaal Loganathan • Published on

India's wayward day included conceding five runs for the ball hitting the helmet. © Getty

Byes, overthrows, leg side, off side, full, short, misfields, dropped catches. All of India's old habits came rushing back into their game as England dominated day four of the final Test at The Oval. And it was no surprise that they did, too.

India have already conceded the series, one that they could very well have been leading had they been more ruthless in Edgbaston and Rose Bowl. They were way behind in this game as well after they had somehow contrived to waste two dominating positions earlier in the game. And they came into the penultimate day of the series knowing they needed to play out of their skins to overturn the home side's advantage.

They couldn't. With the occasion perfectly set for Alastair Cook to bid farewell with a hundred and for Joe Root to get back into form, England's batting linchpins cashed in. And India finally threw in the towel.

India were further set back by an injury to Ishant Sharma, their key bowler this series. The tall seamer had to go off with an ankle injury after his first over of the day, and for an already battered team, it meant more misery. Jasprit Bumrah bowled both sides of the wicket, and with England in no mood to only defend, was taken for runs. Ravindra Jadeja was short on way too many instances, and both Root and Cook relished the extra time to cut him to the boundary. Mohammed Shami, in between bowling some unplayable balls, was guilty of not bowling to his fields, while Hanuma Vihari did what a part timer does best in such situations - give away runs and take a few wickets against the run of play.

It would be harsh to analyse or judge India's performance based on the day's play - if anything the previous days that got them to this situation needs more scrutinising. The mediocrity on Monday was expected, but it brought back a few harsh memories. Just how bad can India get!

India's bowlers had been their high point in this series so far. Even if they all combined to great effect in only one game, there has always been one bowler to stand up and fight. On Monday, they were all collectively muddled in a listlessness that was common not too long ago on away tours. Kohli's captaincy too left a lot to be desired. There seemed to be no Plan B to dismissing the batsmen, and there was a sense that India had just resigned themselves to England scoring big and declaring at some point. And when it did come, they were staring at a record chase, with their confidence already smashed to bits.

Then came the batsmen. It was almost as if there was a challenge to see which department could do worse. KL Rahul came out swinging, as he had in the first innings. Shikhar Dhawan fell to the most basic set up from Anderson - two shortish outswingers followed by a full straight one. Cheteshwar Pujara got an indipper that he missed and a DRS review he was too late to take, while Virat Kohli brought back shades of 2014 by hanging his bat out to dry against Stuart Broad first ball. India were three down for two runs, and they sunk deeper into quicksand.

India's well considered and executed plans went out the window. Free abandon had taken over now, or was it hopelessness? They weren't done in by some bits of outrageous bowling, a theme that has stood out this series. They just looked lost even before they had begun. There was no sense of wanting to make the opposition fight, nor wanting to believe something could be possible. There was perhaps just the one thing missing - a comical run out, but maybe they've saved that for another day.

If both bowlers and the batsmen were mediocre, the fielders can't be too far behind. Kohli himself was guilty of letting more than one genuine stop slip by, while Rahane and Pujara both grassed catches at slip. Then with Cook nearing his hundred, Bumrah decided it merited a wild throw at the stumps. He missed and gifted Cook a hundred in his final match. But the worst came from Rishabh Pant behind the stumps. The young wicketkeeper has already endured a difficult ordeal against the moving ball, but he added more salt on his wounds by letting a straightforward one go through him and strike the helmet. England were granted five bonus runs.

Just before this Test, Ravi Shastri, the India head coach, had emphasised, in his blustering style, that his side is not one to throw in the towel, and unlike other teams, is not the kind waiting to be on the first flight back home. On Monday, they did everything to show that he could not have been more wrong.

© Cricbuzz

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