England tour of India

[sussexpob]

As I said though, taking that element of wild rawness away from him might change him as a player, so I think you just have to take him for what he is. Certainly I found he batted himself in today and gave himself a platform, which hasnt done at times. The most puzzling thing in Australia was how he got platforms to score hundreds and even in the 90s was playing suicidal cricket when you think most players would be cautious.

Either way Red, I think think India have a couple of interesting prospects leading from this series. Pant looks a fine prospect, Axar looks like he's going to challenge Jadeja for his spot and certainly offers ridiculous depth in the spin department, Sundar is making runs and offers even more spin potential...

The one question mark has been Shubman Gill, how has had a horrendous series (aver 19). Although I think looking at Shubman I think technically he looks like a player who is going to be very good. He needs to learn to get forward and commit a little more to full balls, but he strikes me as a top class back foot player, and I really love how still he keeps his body and head in his setup. Hopefully its just a blip for him

[sussexpob]

Disaster session for England. Nearly 150 runs scored for 1 wicket. India in the driving seat now, and any lead of around 150 ish and India might not need to bat again.

Said very early in the day that you couldnt blame Root for bowling his seamers into the ground, they forged an opening in the match and maybe if Stokes or Anderson had got Pant or Sundar in the key battle before tea, it would have been different. The problem was when the wicket didnt come, the lack of a fifth bowler meant Root's toothless bowling and a clearly absolutely knackered seam partnership rotating back on just got a bit ragged and let the game slip.

Selection letting England down really. Although Root didnt make good choices as the day went on, kept chopping and changing, brought Stokes on too early, didnt let either spinner stay on long enough to get into the groove, if he had any kind of specialist option to turn to when India lost Ashwin, you get the feeling this match could have been different.

[Red Devil]

As I said though, taking that element of wild rawness away from him might change him as a player, so I think you just have to take him for what he is. Certainly I found he batted himself in today and gave himself a platform, which hasnt done at times. The most puzzling thing in Australia was how he got platforms to score hundreds and even in the 90s was playing suicidal cricket when you think most players would be cautious.

Either way Red, I think think India have a couple of interesting prospects leading from this series. Pant looks a fine prospect, Axar looks like he's going to challenge Jadeja for his spot and certainly offers ridiculous depth in the spin department, Sundar is making runs and offers even more spin potential...

The one question mark has been Shubman Gill, how has had a horrendous series (aver 19). Although I think looking at Shubman I think technically he looks like a player who is going to be very good. He needs to learn to get forward and commit a little more to full balls, but he strikes me as a top class back foot player, and I really love how still he keeps his body and head in his setup. Hopefully its just a blip for him

Agreed - I hope India stick with him as I think he'll be a better test batter at the top of the order than Prithvi Shaw. However, it does feel like KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal are unlucky to be sitting out so the pressure on his place is huge.

[alfie]

The selection has been woeful since the first match

The selection/resting is one thing, but I think with Bess it was the comments made about him needing to improve made in the press that just seemed very unconstructive. The player could have easily been told with everyone being rested and Moeen replacing him, that he was going to be rotated like everyone has, and that Moeen was going home after the test and therefore they wanted to use him before.

Now Bess is basically out there knowing his management dont have confidence in his ability, and that is clearly putting pressure on him. His captain pulling off after every couple of overs and bowling himself wont help either.

I guess people have different ideas on it, but from my perspective as Bess was always going to play again in the series, the player management didnt make sense to me at all. Such comments can really get under the skin, and hes a young lad.

Couldn't agree more. I thought it was quite weird , the (surely unnecessary ?) public comments after Chennai. And seems to me that having made those comments actually influenced England not to pick Bess for the Pink Ball match - despite the pitch looking a bit like the Sahara even before the start...

Though I suppose that might have been more down to the fact that England can never read a pitch correctly in advance

Hope the young fellow can come back from all this OK ...he's young enough so if he has the character , he will. At least he has some success behind him so he won't be a Kerrigan. Or a Schofield...

[alfie]

Anyway , have to congratulate Pant - and , indeed , Sundar , for taking the game away from England in that session. They really did play magnificently - took some chances that came off ; but generally just played really well against an understandably tiring attack. And in relation to that I also have to congratulate Rohit (again) for playing an out of character "solid" innings that ensured England had to overwork their pace men and leave very little in the tank for the last session- certainly made the task for Pant and Sundar that much easier. He has had a massive effect on this series.

Not going to be too critical of England today. Yes , Root probably overbowled himself , didn't always get his handling of the other spinners quite right (might a couple of overs from Lawrence have been worth a try at some point ? Couldn't have done too much harm) and - from necessity - rather knackered his pace pair. But going in one bowler light , in the heat and humidity of today , was always going to be tough. Had the long batting lineup taken advantage of winning the toss and made say 280 or so it might be a different story - but they are pretty much down in the pit now...
Game of inches though : another time Pant gets given out on field the over before tea and we have a different game. (Not complaining : lbw is always a projection , by human or technology. And we have already seen several close decisions go against batsmen in this game : Bairstow , Gill , Rohit...Pant was the lucky one. And didn't he cash in !)

All in all I have enjoyed today . Would prefer England to be in a better spot but all credit to India . Just hope England can at least make them work tomorrow and not get skittled for 80 again...

[sussexpob]

Under Flower, England made a habit of leaking subtle question marks to the press about players who the team didnt fancy picking, but who made compelling cases for selection. I think there are countless examples, but Jack Leach is the last person to have suffered it under Flower. While England's spin options were lean and Jack was smashing apart county teams, Flower was busy dismantling his attitude, then his fitness, and then when the press still questioned why we wouldnt pick him, Flower then called him a chucker, much to the astonishment of his Somerset bowling coach and everyone who'd ever seen him bowl, because there had never been a remote suggestion he had chucked the ball. I hope the treatment of Bess isnt the resurgence of the selectors feeling the pressure of press scrutiny of their selection once again, and throwing the player under the bus to protect their decisions.

One only has to look at what this sort of policy did to Steve Finn to realise how it can destroy a career. The guy had a 100 test wickets at 27 a piece, and then Flower suddenly told him he was useless when he didnt fancy picking him, and by the age of 25 he was throwing down balls to cardboard cut outs in the nets, not even allowed to practice with live batsman.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Strange the way England went from hardly bowling Stokes earlier in the series to bowling him all the time.

England needed someone to bowl a few of his overs fairly cheaply, whether a spinner or a pace bowler. A spinner would be a bit of a wild card, one of the leg spinning reserves. I'd have picked Woakes because he wouldn't have weakened the batting. But as has been said, without Lawrence's runs, India would have been out of sight sooner.

[sussexpob]

And in relation to that I also have to congratulate Rohit (again) for playing an out of character "solid" innings that ensured England had to overwork their pace men and leave very little in the tank for the last session

Its probably another false dawn, and he will go away and produce binary batting figures again as soon as he touches down on foreign soil; but you watch him on these tracks, none of which have been roads nor that easy to bat on, and he's looks like some timeless legend through the series as others fail around him. Why cant he produce even manageable or average figures abroad? Its beyond me, hes shown solid technique to both seam and spin, patience, great shot selection.

He must hate travelling.

[Durhamfootman]

I've seen the highlights of the final session. England might have ended up wishing that they hadn't taken the new ball.

The more I see of Rishabh, the more I like what I see.

Feels like game over for England. Indeed, if India can add another 50 or so runs tomorrow, they might not need to bat again

[meninblue]

And in relation to that I also have to congratulate Rohit (again) for playing an out of character "solid" innings that ensured England had to overwork their pace men and leave very little in the tank for the last session

Its probably another false dawn, and he will go away and produce binary batting figures again as soon as he touches down on foreign soil; but you watch him on these tracks, none of which have been roads nor that easy to bat on, and he's looks like some timeless legend through the series as others fail around him. Why cant he produce even manageable or average figures abroad? Its beyond me, hes shown solid technique to both seam and spin, patience, great shot selection.

He must hate travelling.

Rohit batting in swing conditions is like a fish out of water.

[bigfluffylemon]

Well played India. That's the difference between a mediocre team like England and a strong one like India. Strong teams can battle back and don't let up on the initiative when they have it. Just like in Australia, India showed great resilience and depth today. England fail to close out too often. Still, if it weren't for the enduring brilliance of Jimmy and the never -say-die of Stokes, we'd be buried already.

It's a corny gag, but I must confess to have chuckled at the BBC's headline 'Pant's on fire'.

[Red Devil]

Axar and Sundar were completely untroubled this morning, pitch looked very flat.

Crazy run out from Axar cost him his 50 and cost Sundar his 100. Really disappointing from Ishant and Siraj to nkt just get in line and block a few balls. Have to feel for Sundar, left stranded just short of his century for the second time in this series

[Gingerfinch]

I had us as slight favourites this time yesterday. Now we have no chance!

[Red Devil]

Eng batting off to a dodgy start again with Ashwin getting Crawley and Bairstow in his first over.

Root has already been very very lucky. Looked plumb lbw to Axar but not given - drs shows umpires call on height but Swann says decisions like that make him cry for the bowlers.

Now Root has just top edged one up in the air but lucky it doesn't go to hand. Eng 19/2 and pitch not looking quite so flat

[Durhamfootman]

Oh lordy....

365! good batting from the India lower middle order

and now England are 20-3..... hopeless

3 blobs in 4 knocks for YJB