Root needs to lead from front again
It is now a full year since Joe Root scored a Test century, which is to say that he has failed so to do in 24 innings against a cross-section of Test-match attacks. In the meantime, England have been thrashed by Australia, beaten by New Zealand, and held to a home draw by Pakistan. Though he has still delivered a consistent diet of 50s, a batsman of his epochal brilliance is obliged to do more. Like Alastair Cook before him, he was appointed captain not because he has a natural feel for the game or its players, but because, even in cricket, the most important element of leadership is consistent excellence of individual performance. So if, like almost every captain before him, the demands of the job are compromising his standards – it is a long time since he’s looked as uncomfortable at the crease as lately – then he, Ed Smith as the national selector and Trevor Bayliss as the head coach must have a long, painful talk, because England are nowhere near good enough to do without their best player playing his best.
England must decipher ‘Mr Tickle’s’ arms
India’s superb pace attack – and what a pleasure it is to write those words – has settled very nicely into this series. But though Mohammed Shami is reliable, Hardik Pandya improving, and Ishant Sharma can suddenly happen upon a flow, Jasprit Bumrah is another matter entirely. The variation he supplies – in angle, bowling from wide of the crease, and in action, arms all over like Mr Tickle doing the floss – clearly disconcerted England’s batsmen. In the first innings at Trent Bridge, they found him hardest to get away and he also dismissed the top-scoring Jos Buttler. Then, in the second, he took them apart. If England’s batsmen cannot work him out and quickly, his arrival could yet prove to be the turning point in this contest.
Bat first, please, Joe
Though, in favourable conditions, England have a decent attack, and though, in favourable circumstances, England have a decent top eight, neither are devastating. As such, Joe Root must opt to field first only in extreme circumstances. At Lord’s, the weather and pitch insisted, but the same was not so at Trent Bridge and more generally, England have lost seven of the last 11 Tests before which the captain has made that call. And this tactic is especially risky against India, who have the world’s best batsman – Virat Kohli duly cashed in when offered first hit – and the world’s best spinner – Ravi Ashwin was not even needed to rustle the three left-handers in England’s top five. Root is unlikely to be similarly tempted at the Ageas Bowl or the Oval, but looking to the longer term, his team must improve significantly before he contemplates such a risk in future.
Curb the collapses and improve the batting
England’s batsmen have collapsed prolifically over the last couple of years, each iteration adding a revitalising wrinkle to an old story. The last time this behaviour was so common, in the 90s, it felt almost unavoidable – often, the opposing bowlers were all-time greats, and mainly, it felt as if the batsmen were doing their best. But that is not the case now. Roughly, the problem can be split into three: a naive, carefree attitude that has long since ceased to be charming; bad judgment that has delivered more teachable moments than an American sitcom; and mental weakness illustrated by how differently they fare when under rather than applying pressure. Perhaps, though, this latest humiliation will finally bring about a change, because, in England’s second innings at Trent Bridge, they were shown how to build a Test-match innings by Buttler, their most destructive batsman, and by Ben Stokes. If things do not improve from here, they never will.
Revel in Kohli’s otherworldliness
In the 16th century a Turkish miniaturist managed to gain entry to the Sultan’s art collection and, before he left, deliberately blinded himself so that the last thing he saw was the work of the great masters. It is impossible to fathom his reaction had he been so fortunate as to experience Virat Kohli. Though Kohli’s batting is otherworldly – he has more than twice as many runs in the series as anyone else and his conversion rate to centuries is now the equal of Don Bradman’s – to focus solely on the numbers is to entirely miss his measure. He has dedication you can barely believe and the moxie of a million men, suffusing everything around him with a fanatical aggression and enthusiasm – also known as love – that is both moving and inspiring, a man doing precisely what he should be doing, to the highest degree and with maximum effect. He is the greatest of his time and a great of all time, with lessons to teach not just Root and the England team, but the rest of us, too.
