India vs England | Winners and losers ft. Ed Smith, Ravi Shastri, and Michael Holding

08/22/2018

The Indian team went on to win the third Test match of the ongoing series against the hosts by a margin of 203 runs. While Ed Smith’s decision of picking Jos Butler and Adil Rashid proved to be the right ones for England, Hardik Pandya’s all-round show has silenced critics including Michael Holding.

Winners

Ed Smith and his conviction

When Ed Smith took over the role from James Whitaker as the head of England's selection panel in May, it took England cricket by surprise. But as a cricketer and author, whose immense love for the game and the understanding of minor intricacies have been widely admired, Smith was believed to be the right person for the job. And within the first few days, he laid down the marker about his vision for English cricket by recalling Jos Buttler and Adil Rashid to the team on the basis of the duo’s performances in T20 cricket and drew a lot of flak from the experts. It was seen as a disrespect to the traditional format of the game. However, as things stand at the moment, Ed Smith's conviction has stood apart.

Rashid was solely picked in the team for one reason - Virat Kohli. The Indian skipper failed to pick the leggie in the ODI series which prompted the selectors to bring him into the team despite Yorkshire having him on a white-ball contract. While Rashid has gone for runs, he was successful in getting Kohli out, not once but twice. Similarly, Jos Buttler proved all detractors wrong to take a step forward to settle the debate regarding his position in the Test side, once and for all. If his 80 at Headingley against Pakistan was just the impetus the team needed that day, his century yesterday made sure that he is here to stay.

Ravi Shastri

Ravi Shastri is always pumped up. Unlike the Mumbai cricketers, who are more sedate in their approach to cricket and life, Ravi Shastri does well to break the stereotype. And with a vibrant Kohli at the helm of affairs, what a partnership it has been! When at the centre of it, India performs exceedingly well, you can hear the roar from a distance and when the team has been humbled, like they were in Edgbaston and Lord’s, Shastri was still pumped up.

On being asked what went wrong in the first two Tests, Shastri was at his boisterous best and stated that the team would make a comeback with a bang and none of the members of the team are concerned about what went past them. It was more of a statement of intent than overconfidence - something that the Indian skipper has continuously talked about. However, like always, Shastri came under fire for the statement, especially because he didn’t seem to care that the team was in a terrible state in the Lord’s Test. But, everything seemed to fall in place as India put up a display of intent and conviction that would make any coach proud. Shastri, if and only if, now be asked the question of the team’s intent, the answer will again come like a tracer bullet.

Losers

Alastair Cook

Ever since the former England skipper scored a magnificent unbeaten 244 against Australia at the MCG last December, Cook’s batting form has certainly slumped down. He has managed to amass only 269 runs from eight Test matches and leaving apart the knock of 70 against Pakistan at Lord’s, he doesn’t even have a single fifty to his name during the said period. In the ongoing Test series against India, Cook’s scores read - 13, 0, 21, 29 and 17, which reveals the story that how his poor form is hampering the English batting. Cook has miserably failed to provide a good start at the top for the Englishmen and the team management might think about a replacement soon.

His failure at the top of the order might just help openers like Nick Gubbins and Rory Burns those who have constantly done well for their respective county sides. Both of them are young and are left-handers who might come in place of England’s all-time highest run-scorer in the team. The former English skipper did mention about Gubbins’ selection last year and Burns has been knocking the doors of the English Test team with his regular show at the top of the order for Surrey and England Lions.

Michael Holding

Hardik Pandya claimed five wickets in the first innings at a crucial stage of the third Test match and pushed England onto the back foot. Not only that, the Baroda all-rounder also went on to prove his batting abilities by scoring an unbeaten fifty in the second innings and silenced his critics through his performance. Calling his contribution as one of the major difference in the game wouldn’t be an aberration.

However, it was not always like that. Few days before the third Test, West Indian legend Michael Holding asserted that Pandya is not a Test all-rounder yet and his regular failures at the international level made people attest to Holding’s comments. But his proper utilisation of the swinging ball and application at the crease with the bat have proved that the young man is a quick learner and a good reader of the game. With this performance, Pandya has not only ensured his future as a proper all-rounder in the Indian Test team but also proved the fact that in seaming conditions he is the best all-rounder for the team who could deliver the goods with both bat and ball. Does he need to reply to Holding after his Trent Bridge show? Hope the former Caribbean pacer has already got the answer from the performance itself.