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| Fourth test, Ahmedabad (day one): |
| England 205: Stokes 55; Axar 4-68 |
| India 24-1: Anderson 1-0 |
| England have 181 races ahead |
| Scorekeeper |
England’s batsmen failed again on the first day of the final test against India in Ahmedabad.
On a flawless pitch, completely different from the surface of Test 3 that made scoring so difficult to run, England was left out of 205 after winning the toss.
Ben Stokes made 55 and retired Dan Lawrence 46, but tourists fluctuated between repeating old mistakes and reckless excessive aggression.
India was excellent on the ball, with left arm Axar Patel once again in front at 4-68.
The home team lost to Shubnam Gill on the second ball of their response, only for Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara to lead them to 24-1 at the close.
With India leading 2-1 in the series, avoiding defeat will allow them to extend an unbeaten record at home dating back to 2012 and also book a World Test Championship final against New Zealand.
Different throw, different team, same result
England’s victory in the first test had become a distant memory for their batting failures against the Indian spinners in the next two, particularly the third, a 10-wicket defeat on a snake court in the same field of Ahmedabad.
Hoping for more of the same, England beefed up their hitting and bowling by including Lawrence and Dom Bess at the expense of pitchers Stuart Broad and Jofra Archer, who was later confirmed to have been ruled out for a recurrence of his elbow problem.
For their approach to work, England ideally needed to hit on the second day, allowing the field to deteriorate to further assist their attack with lots of spin.
Captain Joe Root asked his hitters to be “full of confidence” and to play in a “controlled but bold” manner. Instead, some carried their scars to this final test, while others carried the fight too far.
India’s first entries will provide context for England’s effort. It could be that the tourists have enough careers to be competitive and should have the advantage of playing last few bowls.
However, the first signs from the field are that India will have a chance to hit for a series win.
England’s scrambled approach
How England’s day would unfold was heralded by the firings of starters Dom Sibley and Zak Crawley, both missing in the space of 11 Axar deliveries after roulette was introduced in the sixth over of the match.
Like so many before him, Sibley fell playing for a non-existent turn and went through the door. Crawley took him to the other end, running down the field and making a horrible mistake in the middle of the field.
Even those who were moderately successful would eventually fall shy or irresponsible.
Stokes began his innings by exchanging words with India captain Virat Kohli. He continued to show a solid defense and powerful sweeps before missing a direct one to be lbw against Washington Sundar.
Lawrence, batting at number seven, showed composure and was just beginning to master bowling when he ran unnecessarily toward Axar and was stumped by the distance.
The promising beginnings of Jonny Bairstow and Ollie Pope were cut short with overtones of bad luck. Bairstow was marginally delivered to Mohammed Siraj and Pope stepped forward on both platforms to get caught on Ravichandran Ashwin’s short leg.
Root, nailed to the crease of one that Siraj managed to cut, was one of the few who was not an accessory to his fall. Given the nature of the surface, the display from England was far from good enough.
India makes her point
India has been quick to fight back against media criticism of the second and third Test releases, with Kohli and Ashwin particularly vocal.
Here, with only a minimal amount of early assist for the spinners, the hosts were still able to take advantage of the weaknesses of the England lineup.
Siraj threw with rhythm, finding swing and rebound. Axar was typically accurate, Ashwin improved as the day progressed, and Sundar generated more shifts than any of his more famous colleagues.
The way they shared their workload – Siraj and his fast bowling partner Ishant Sharma threw a third of the overs – could suggest that England are light paced.
India’s biggest setback came when Shubnam Gill fell to the second installment of his answer, lbw to an Anderson inswinger, who threw five successive maidens.
Stokes has been suffering from a stomach problem, but was still able to share the new ball. He gave way to Jack Leach after just two overs, as Rohit and Pujara advanced comfortably to the finish.
‘We’re disappointed that we haven’t hit yet’
England’s off-roader Ben Stokes: “We will look back and be disappointed that we are not hitting yet. We are more than capable of scoring at least 300 on that pitch. It’s frustrating, but we can’t dwell too long on it. Overall, it’s too much better window than last time we play here. “
Former England captain Michael Vaughan on The Cricket Social: “This has been my concern with this England team for a while. They get worse against quality opponents over the course of a series. They should have hit the full 90 overs and be 250-5 on that field. They’ve missed a great opportunity.” .
