Paul Farbrace, England’s assistant coach, had little but praise for his bowlers after a day of toil in the first Test in which their discipline was eventually rewarded with late wickets.
India were 228 for one at tea and while both Cheteshwar Pujara and Murali Vijay went on to bring up centuries, a final session in which the touring side could easily have wilted brought the removal of both men and the nightwatchman, Amit Mishra, with the hosts 311 for four at the close and trailing by 218 runs.
“The wickets have given us a lift in our dressing-room,” Farbrace said after the close. “It’s nice when you talk about being patient, sticking to your plans, and you are rewarded at the end of the day. That’s exactly what’s happened for us today.
“We were never going to be attacking today. We’re playing on an outstanding pitch against two batsmen who were set and playing really well. Our plan was to stifle them and stop them scoring, and we did that. Only 66 runs in the middle session was an outstanding effort from our boys.
“And it was important at the end of the day that we didn’t get ragged. We didn’t do that and we picked up two extra wickets. We make no excuses for the fact that we tried to make it as difficult for India as possible.”
Given the well-documented limitations of the spinners and a pitch that has remained benign thus far, it was hard to take issue with his analysis. Some 21 maidens have been bowled by England’s attack – already more than India managed in the first innings and owing much to the efforts of the seamers – and Adil Rashid went at under three runs an over for the first time in his Test career, while he claimed Vijay’s scalp before the close.
Farbrace was quick to credit the team’s spin-bowling consultant on the tour, Saqlain Mushtaq, for encouraging the Yorkshireman to get the ball above the eyeline and to spin it hard, while working on his overall consistency.
Farbrace said: “Our seamers have done a fantastic job in good conditions and we’re really pleased with the way the spinners bowled too. They took a bit of stick in Bangladesh for not holding a line and length. I thought today they bowled particularly well.
“Adil has had a good day today and the key is he’s learned quickly. He has worked very hard on trying to be a lot more disciplined. One thing Saqlain has talked to him a lot about is not so much necessarily the pace he bowls as the trajectory.
“It’s important he gets the ball up and gives it a chance to spin. The talk in the past has been about the fact that he’s bowled too slow, but work with Saqqy has been about getting good flight on the ball and getting the batsmen to drive more often than not.
“We’re pleased but the consistency we’re looking for is over a series and we are trying to achieve that consistency as a team, not ruining days by having poor spells and sessions.”
On the match situation, Farbrace relayed the England camp’s general contentedness and belief that the pitch will start to break up and the game move quickly.
He added: “It’s typical in this part of the world, that when you get a good pitch things could start to happen around tea-time on day four, into day five and quickly. Both sides are expecting the wicket to turn more.
“The cracks have certainly opened and some of the cracks have started to crack on the edge too. So you might start to see a bit more variable bounce as well. When you’re more than 200 in front, you hope that happens. That’s why it’s so important to get your runs first innings.”
