India are now a team in a hurry, which has not always been the case. They have a relatively new captain in Virat Kohli, who has been in charge for 17 Tests (10 of which have been won), a newish coach in Anil Kumble and they appear as if they have embarked on a new era, post Tendulkar, post Dhoni.
For the first time since 2008 they have agreed to play Test cricket using the Decision Review System; and while it remains to be seen what is in store in Rajkot they have recently been prepared to play on more “sporting” pitches.
It is not hard to understand that Sachin Tendulkar was none too enamoured with the DRS. It stands to reson that the opposition are far more likely to target the best batsman in the world than anyone else by trying for a DRS decision.
However, for the best teams in the world the DRS must be a good idea; it surely favours the side that creates the most chances.
In Tendulkar’s pomp the whole nation seemed to stop when he was at the crease. There was almost the perception that all must be well with the world if Tendulkar was scoring hundreds for India; here was a sign of stability and comfort since it was ever thus. This was less likely to happen if the pitches were turning and spitting like cobras.
When Dhoni was in charge as well there was a serenity and even a hint of resignation about India’s approach to Test cricket.
“Of course, we are not all very good fielders,” he would say with a shrug, “but we do our best.” He remained forever unflappable behind the stumps, winning most of his matches at home (21), losing most of them away (15). He often seemed much more animated when the ball was white rather than red.
Speaking before the Test in Rajkot, Ajinkya Rahane, now the vice-captain, pointed out the contrast. “Dhoni was so calm,” he said, “and Virat may be learning that but Virat is much more aggressive.” That aggression may include playing on surfaces that encourage a fast game. In the seven most recent Tests here neither New Zealand nor South Africa have managed to reach 300 in any innings.
This was predominantly because of the prodigious performances of Ravi Ashwin and his debonair sidekick, Ravindra Jadeja, arguably the two best all-rounders in the world, especially if they are playing at home. They pass the reliable test of a quality all-rounder – with great ease in the case of Ashwin.
If a cricketer possesses a bowling average lower than his batting average confer upon him/her full all-rounder status without much hesitation. For Ashwin the figures are mighty – he averages 33.55 with the bat and 24.29 with the ball in 39 Tests; Jadeja in 20 matches is 24.00 when batting and 23.52 when bowling.
In those seven recent home Tests Ashwin took 58 wickets against hapless South Africans and Kiwis with his off-breaks and Jadeja 37 with fast and fizzing left-arm spinners. England will be seeing a lot of this pair over the next six weeks.
Ashwin, forever a thoughtful cricketer, has matured significantly since the 2012 tour when the brilliance of Kevin Pietersen and, in a more muted way, Alastair Cook left him perplexed and increasingly short of wickets. With wisdom comes simplicity.
When Ashwin first came to prominence there was much excitement about his carrom ball; it was his doosra, which emerged from the front of his hand before spinning the other way. At a lower level there was similar misguided excitement at Moeen Ali’s “doosra”.
CricViz, an analysis tool that comes up with the type of information that Raymond Illingworth merely used to keep in his head, produced these figures: in the series against New Zealand Ashwin bowled 879 balls for his 27 wickets; only 19 were carrom balls, just one of which took a wicket, that of the tail-ender Ish Sodhi.
Especially on turning pitches too many frills and indulgences are a waste of time, a message that must have been drummed into England’s spinners after the Bangladesh tour but which Ashwin has recognised for some time.
Ashwin can torment since his slightly ungainly action, which in itself can help to hinder a batsman, imparts sufficient spin and it achieves increasing accuracy. Recently he has felt no compulsion to hunt for wickets; they come to him.
The same may apply to Jadeja of the occasional twirly moustache and a manner that has been known to creep under the skin of Jimmy Anderson – especially at Trent Bridge on the way to lunch. Who knows why? Perhaps the fact that Shane Warne – of all people – nicknamed him “Rockstar” has something to do with it.
On flat pitches Jadeja should not pose too much of a problem. However, on turning ones – and he has experienced a few in Rajkot where he plays his domestic cricket – he fizzes the ball down on the spot at pace and sometimes it turns and sometimes not. That is a challenging combination.
