KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal prove fears of Team India's decline in post-Rohit Kohli era misplaced

Indian Express

3 hours ago

The first hour of the opening Test of the series was about to end and this wasn't how the script was expected to unfold.
If the popular narrative around the Indian batting group, post the retirement of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, was to be believed, openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul should have been in the dressing room by now. Not quite, they were ruling the 22 yards. Batting flawlessly, they hadn't taken a step wrong for most of the all-important first session till there was a twist in the tale and an important lunch-time lesson.
It was about 7 minutes before lunch, when Rahul threw it away, getting caught in the slip for 42. Then debutant No.3 Sai Sudharsan was out for a duck. Both dismissals were outcomes of batting carelessness rather than bowling persistence. To be fair, the openers had done their job with a partnership of 91 at the start of the series. But 92/2 showed that in England, like the buses when you wait for one for ages, two come along. It was also a reminder that in these parts, you don't get carried away.
Back to India's dream start. Their grip on the morning was such that there was a bit of despondency in the stands. And it was as late as the 13th over when finally there was a spike in the noise level at Headingley. This happened when Jaiswal missed a full ball on the legs by pacer Josh Tongue, first of the English bowlers to go over the wicket. Jaiswal fell over, the ball hit the pads, the English players shouted, the crowd roared. There was consensus at Headingley that a review needs to be taken. Captain obliged, his hands formed the T.
Desperate situations do need desperate measures but not foolhardy ones. Replays showed the ball was going way down the leg-side. In the Test Match Special commentary box, the charmingly engaging former English pacer Jonathan Agnew launched a debate if this qualified to be on the list of 'worst reviews England has ever taken'. The English fans, sitting strategically next to the sight screen, threw up their hands, some spilling their beers in the bargain.
Three balls later, Jaiswal hit a ball coming into him straight on the ground and it went whistling down the turf, towards the stands with the beer spill.
It was clearly the shot of the day. The English slip cordon was scratching their chin and a large group of fans moved to the exit to get their beer refill. That Jaiswal stroke got him and India four runs but it was worth much more. He had made a point that the absence of batting stalwarts hadn't made this an under-confident side.
Had India won the toss, they too would have bowled first, Shubman Gill had said at the start of the game. Early in the series, this is what most visiting teams do. By fielding first, the batsmen get a chance to judge the pitch and conditions.
And since it is the batsmen who are the decision makers – Gill the captain, Gautam Gambhir the coach – the bowlers rarely get asked what they want. India's team selection also showed they weren't prone to taking risks. Paranoid about avoiding a batting collapse at the start of the series, the team was packed with all-rounders. Wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav missing out and all-rounder Shardul Thakur making the cut.
But when England forced them to bat first, India were pushed out of their comfort zone. It was a good toss to lose. The first hour of the series is when teams look to make a statement. And India made a powerful one. England skipper Ben Stokes threw everything he had at the Indians. Chris Woakes tried to get Jaiswal with the in-coming ball and a leg-side trap. He had got him with the same trick in the tour game. The Indian opener wasn't falling for it this time. Other pacers too tried the same plan. No luck for them either. Jaiswal once glanced the ball delicately between the keeper Jamie Smith's right and Ben Duckett and the plan seemed to be officially shelved.
For KL it was the off-side ploy. The bowlers tried to bowl the perfect length and move it away, hoping that the fresh-from-IPL Indian opener would go for an expansive drive through covers and edge it. For the first hour, Rahul was measured, he would follow the swing, he crouched and leaned into the drive. He would hit those near-perfect textbook cover drives before playing a loose shot, getting caught in the slips.
After the near perfect batting show in the first hour, both Jaiswal and Rahul dropped the guard. Jaiswal would flash to short balls and luckily for him, miss them. KL Rahul too played way too many strokes to finally get caught in the slips. Was the sudden aggression around 20 overs an evidence that the T20 muscle memory hasn't yet been totally wiped out?