India vs England | Takeaways : Sam Curran’s purposeful fluidity and Jos Buttler’s Test adaptation
Getty
Sam Curran bailed England out of the woods as his 78 runs helped the hosts reach a total of 246 from a precarious position of 86/6. However, Virat Kohli would surely have been happy with the way his pacers went about things in the first session and would be thankful for losing the toss as well.
Good Toss to lose
There was a funny scene during the toss. After Virat Kohli called it wrong, both the captains were all smiles. While of Joe Root’s was one of content and happiness, the Indian skipper projected a look of what he was going to miss. Root didn’t waste any time before revealing that he was going to bat first on an “excellent wicket”. But boy, did India just prove him wrong?Â
While many can consider the top-order
The one that got Keaton Jennings out was a beauty to savour. The massive inswinger left the southpaw completely strangulated and my goodness, no one would have expected such amount of movement through the air as Jennings was pinned on the back foot in the expectation of the one going across, but it was just Bumrah’s day. The Gujarat pacer also caught Joe Root plumb in front with a peach of a delivery, but a no-ball helped Root survive.
While the bowling was good, they were also supported by the conditions in Southampton - something that the trio of James Anderson, Stuart Broad, and Sam Curran could have used brilliantly. Kohli would be extremely happy by the fact that he lost the toss and the Indian batsmen didn’t have to face the English pacers so early in the Test match.
Tests need patience, Jos Buttler
It is a thing in Test cricket - you need to suppress your instincts sometimes and try to adapt to the conditions more. Bowlers will keep on trying to lure you to their doom, but one’s intelligence will be tested when they won’t get affected by the same. Jos Buttler is an excellent batsman and probably one of the best in the business. As things have gone in the recent past, his selection in the Test team can prove to be Ed Smith’s legacy as a selector. However, all said and done, from the way Jos Buttler got out, it was clear that he is not a finished product as of yet, as far as Test batsmanship is concerned.
Mohammed Shami, since the time he came into bowl, he kept pitching it up, which persuaded Buttler to throw his bat around the ball. It was a very good set-up by Shami, who knew that Buttler, whose favourite shot is
Agreed that it was not a grave mistake committed by Buttler as many batsmen of the current age do it, but it showed a sign of his batting that could be easily exploited by people. Test cricket demands the highest level of attention and judgment and if Buttler can add that to his arsenal, he can just be brilliant.
How good is Sam Curran
He can trouble batsmen with his left-arm angle and the outrageous amounts of swing. He can bat as the best batsman in the team and to back it all, he is one of the best fielders in the team. Sam Curran involves himself in a cricket match like there is no tomorrow. There is a sense of purposeful fluidity that strikes you instantly.Â
When England falling prey to yet another top-order collapse, Curran came in and showcased what the English batsmen could learn from him. When he was batting with Moeen Ali, you could sense the urge to be the better of the duo. The 20-year-old did not just succeed, he pushed India's bowling attack and fielders onto the back foot for the first time in the Test. Indian bowlers, who so far had bowled with panache and were even successful in reducing England to a score of 86/6, looked in utter disbelief as Curran raced away to a half-century and took England not just to a respectable total, rather to a point where their bowlers can fancy to dictate the game.
