With a batting lineup in transition, the general consensus heading into the England tour was that it would be an uphill task for Shubman Gill’s boys. By the end of the first Test in Headingley on Monday, the climb seems steeper, although the goalpost has now shifted a bit.For the first time in the 149-year history of Test cricket, a team has lost after recording five centuries. Over two innings, India scored 835 runs, the fourth biggest tally in a Test that could not be defended. For a defeat of this magnitude, where 371 was not enough in the fourth innings on a tiring Day Five pitch, the bowlers will have to bear the brunt.Jasprit Bumrah, after bowling his heart out in the first innings and taking 5-83, was played out with extreme caution by the English batters in his first couple of spells in the second innings. But it was his support cast that left a lot to be desired. Mohammed Siraj couldn’t create consistent pressure while Prasidh Krishna, despite five wickets over two innings, went for over six runs per over. The lone spin option Ravindra Jadeja couldn’t come close to creating the mayhem that he does on spin-friendly tracks in India.
But coach Gautam Gambhir gave the impression that there wouldn’t be wholesale changes in the bowling attack for the second Test in Birmingham starting in a week’s time. While he spoke about Siraj’s experience, there was high praise for Prasidh too.“Barring Bumrah and Siraj, we don’t have too much experience in the attack. Prasidh bowled very well and got us important wickets. He brings something different to the table with the bounce that he generates and has the ingredients of becoming a very good Test bowler,” Gambhir said.“We will have to give them time,” Gambhir said about the pace attack. “Earlier, we used to have four fast bowlers in the squad with an experience of more than 40 Tests. It doesn’t make such a big impact in OneDay or T20 matches, but when you go to Australia, England or South Africa for Tests, experience matters,” Gambhir added.“These are early days. If we start judging our bowlers after every Test, how will we develop a bowling attack? Apart from Bumrah and Siraj, the others bowlers have quality, which is why they are in this dressing room. But we have got to keep backing them because it’s not about one tour. It’s about building a fast-bowler battery that can serve India for a long time in Test cricket,” Gambhir said.
Even if the top-three pacers are retained, it will be difficult to persist with Shardul Thakur. He only bowled 16 overs in the Test, taking two wickets, and failed with the bat. Though Gambhir was adamant that the wickets that Shardul got were important, there’s no doubt that there is a case to strengthen the bowling attack, which lacked the teeth to take 20 wickets. “I agree that even if you score 1000 runs, a victory is not guaranteed. To win, you need to take 20 wickets, but we will have to see the conditions (at Edgbaston) before taking a call,” Gambhir said.
Kuldeep looks a mandatory inclusion
If the coach has to walk the talk, his best bet could be Kuldeep Yadav for the second Test. The left-arm wrist spinner played a superb hand when England last toured India in 2023-24, taking 19 wickets at an average of 20.14. The likes of Harry Brook and Jamie Smith, who gave enough trouble to India in the first Test, aren’t the best players of spin and might struggle to read a wrist spinner from the hand.If Kuldeep plays, he will be a genuine wicket-taking option, something that India so sorely missed in Headingley after Bumrah was played out. But that won’t be at the cost of Ravindra Jadeja, who still has enough backers in the team despite modest returns in the first Test.Captain Shubman Gill said he was happy with the allrounder’s performance. “He bowled very well and created enough chances, there was one that Rishabh (Pant) didn’t see,” Gill said, and he found support in Gambhir too. It is Jadeja’s ability to keep the runs down and bowl overs quickly, which also works in his favour. That leaves Shardul in a vulnerable spot, but the call that the team management needs to take is whether they are fine with three pacers.If they want to have a fourth pace option along with two spinners, the only player in the top order who can make way for batting allrounder Nitish Reddy is Karun Nair. With 0 and 20, Nair didn’t exactly set the stage on fire, while Nitish’s performances in Australia, which included a century at MCG, may be a tempting option for Gambhir and Co.
Not sweating over late-order collapses
Over two innings, India lost 13 wickets for 72 runs, which made a significant difference in the end. Gambhir conceded that had the team got 550-600 from where they were (431-3) in the first innings, it would have made a difference. “It’s not that they are not applying themselves, they are trying. Yes, those extra runs would have been crucial, but I don’t want to blame 9, 10 and 11 for not getting a lot of runs,” Gambhir said. The coach had a point because 471 and 364 should be enough to win a Test match in England.It’s to be seen if India take the bold call of playing five specialist bowlers to build on the good form of the top-order.
