India’s much-celebrated Lord’s win has handed them a clear advantage, and it’s a lot to do with the brilliance of a four-man pace attack. The template is likely to be retained, but the R Ashwin debate shouldn’t fizzle out so easily.
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As India takes the high of the Lord’s win to Leeds, the selection debates have eased up, and all feels well and good in the team. A four-pace attack delivered the goods handsomely on a sleepy-slopey pitch, KL Rahul roared upon his re-entry in the Test kit and Rahane and Pujara dug in to play their roles to an extent. With a depleted England side in front of them, some are even projecting a thumping series win already.
The manner in which the India fast-bowling quarter tore through England’s line-up, makes it likely that the team will retain the same bowling combination, at least for the next game. In the last three years, India’s quicks have taken 19 or more wickets in a Test five times, all coming under the captaincy of Virat Kohli. It’s a major shift from India’s heavy dependence on spin both at home and away, and with a generational pace attack setting up crucial wins, one wouldn’t want to tinker with the bowling, at least in conditions conducive to pace.
Kohli, too, has hinted at sticking with the four (or at least a combination of four quicks), saying after the first Test that they had set “the right template” for the rest of the series. India’s quicks have now taken 39 wickets in this series, the lone wicket going to a run-out. It’s easy to think that the debate around R Ashwin’s position is now settled, but maybe it’s not.
It’s highly surprising that the world’s No.1 Test spinner doesn’t warrant an automatic selection in the XI. A bowler with 413 Test wickets, and India’s premier wicket-taker in the format, is sitting on the sidelines again, possibly for the most part of the tour, if not the whole. Weeks before the first Test, Ashwin looked like England’s biggest threat, having run through Somerset with a six-for on Surrey debut. The manner in which England’s batting had dismantled in India earlier this year had one wondering if a Ben Stokes-less side would be able to survive a red-hot Ashwin even on home soil.
The off-spinner’s effectiveness overseas has grown by leaps and bounds recently – on the 2018 tour to England, Ashwin looked in fine nick initially, picking up seven wickets in the Birmingham Test, before injuries came his way. Niggles affected him again in Australia the same season, but he created a much bigger impact in the 2020/21 series, disproving the theory that he was ineffective abroad.
In Ashwin’s absence, the lone spinner’s role has been rightfully taken up by Ravindra Jadeja, who undoubtedly adds more muscle to the batting while also being a gun fielder. As a spinner though, Jadeja’s flat trajectories have been rather listless of late – across his last five innings (52 overs), he has given away 123 runs without picking any wicket. The performance of the seamers has meant that there’s little scrutiny on Jadeja the bowler, who has carried on the role of a holding spin bowler quietly but also has to carry the job alone.
This brings us back to Ashwin, who became the leading wicket-taker of the previous cycle’s World Test Championship during the final, and infused life in the Indian camp on day six by getting the ball to curve and skid in typical fashion. Months before that, he had made the ball dip and spin on placid surfaces in Australia, emerging as an all-condition option who looked too good to be left out. In Kohli’s India, bowling attack forms the theme of every maneuver, and Ashwin’s crafty offies exactly fit that template.
But in keeping five bowlers, the team’s composition takes a hit, especially when the top batsmen aren’t performing to their optimum. And while Jadeja is superior in that aspect, Ashwin’s batting, too, has steadily improved after a dip in the middle, which cannot be exactly discounted either. He looked like an able bat during the WTC final, and before that, stitched together a partnership for the ages with Hanuma Vihari in Sydney, battling 128 deliveries to display his full range. In February, he scored his fifth century, against England at home from No.8, showcasing once again that, when required, he can stick around and score vital runs.
When India sit down to discuss the team for the next Test, it’s unlikely that they will look beyond the four quicks. However, pitches at The Oval and Manchester for the last two Tests are expected to spin, and it will be interesting if the side considers the Ashwin angle, even if the path back for him is not straightforward. Either way, the win at Lord’s doesn’t necessarily have to govern what happens for the rest of the tour; there are still three Tests to go, bowlers will have to be rotated, and the conditions wouldn’t match the seam-friendly nature of the first two Tests always.
And, if India has learned anything from the past, rejoicing early could be detrimental to the visitors. During the 2014 tour too, India won the Lord’s Test, the second of the series, due to their rampaging pace attack, but stumbled in the remaining games – Moeen Ali took a six-for in the next Test, and ended with 19 wickets @ 23.00, while R Ashwin played just two Tests, picking three. Four years later, Moeen was the most successful spinner again, picking up 12 wickets @ 21.00.
As India look to win their first series in 14 years in England, a 1-0 advantage after two Tests has put them on the right track, but there’s still a lot of work to be done. Joe Root has stood tall, and some of the others might find their groove after an eight-day break. If they’re able to forge a comeback, an all-pace attack might not be a solution, and India might need a few tricks from their No.1 spinner at some point during the series.
