England tour of unconquerable India 2016

India’s performance throughout the series had many positives, considering Indian cricket is striving to bring the youth back to the finest format of the game. Though it’s understandable that Test Cricket has its own demands, one can’t deny that it has an unmatched beauty, a charm that overshadows the insistence of time and concentration and an exclusive way to prove that is the England tour of India 2016.

Though England entered this series hurt with the scars inflicted by Bangladesh, it wasn’t fair to rule them out as a team solely because of that. England rightly boasts of a mighty batting line-up that extends up to their tailenders and it’s “great” bowlers. However, the only trophy England will take back home is Haseeb Hameed, for the resilience and grit of the teenager was a standout. Jonny Bairstow's consistency reflects in the ICC Test Rankings and that will be a consolation. Moeen Ali registered his 4th ton this year, two coming during this series itself. Adil Rashid was uneconomical on most days, but since he provided breakthroughs more often than not, the leggie will continue to be the captain’s go-to spinner. 

When you have someone from the Big Four of modern cricket, you become reliant on him, this case applies on both Virat Kohli and Joe Root who were face to face in this series. While India showed otherwise with all their batsmen scoring prolifically, Joe Root continued his knack to score runs in the subcontinent but he had one flaw that can be critiqued. He had five 50+ scores, but he has only converted one of it into a big one (124, Rajkot). This could perhaps be one of the factors that resulted in his drop to No.3 in ICC Test Rankings apart from Kohli’s evolution into a ‘proper Test batsman’. 

On the contrary, this has been a series of victory, record-breaking and milestone-making for India. With the newly-discovered talent in Jayant Yadav’s who performed well by picking 9 wickets and 221 runs in 3 matches and Karun Nair’s stellar 303* in only his third match, the team has consolidated hold over their future. With a bench of some injured players like Ajinkya Rahane, Shikhar Dhawan, and Rohit Sharma waiting to make their way back into the squad, we can see healthy competition for the places. 

Ravindra Jadeja is at his peak, with 25+ wickets and two 50+ scores courtesy of some excellent cameos while batting. Ravichandran Ashwin picked 3 fifers, a total of 28 wickets and performed with the willow too, retaining his position as the No.1 Test all-rounder and bowler in the ICC Test Rankings. Virat Kohli whose purple patch only seems to get better, making him scale one peak after another, reaches his career-best No.2 spot in the ICC Test Rankings after a jump from 15th, this series. Apart from scoring two double tons, and being the highest run-scorer of the series, he has achieved the feat of captaining most consecutive Tests without defeat for India (18*).

Now, they haven’t had the best of times with tosses, varying pitches, demeaning comments from the opposition, players falling prey to injuries and the constant pressure to remain No.1 by their fans, but there’s something about them that compels even the greats of the game to admire their hunger and passion for the game. It is satisfying to see the advanced, aggressive team India who isn’t afraid to express their zeal for the game, deflate the camps of the Aussies, South Africans, West Indians, New Zealanders and now the English.