Ben Gardner writes on Ben Foakes’ supporting act in Ranchi, an innings of substance and value that, as often before, was cut short of becoming a true statement.

Cast your mind back to the summer of 2022, but forget for a second all the good stuff. Focus instead on what, until last week, was England’s only blowout defeat of the Brendon McCullum era. Dean Elgar turned up at Lord’s, promised to puncture England’s bravado in a series of side-mouth interviews, and then Kagiso Rabada backed him up, blowing them away by an innings.

In public, McCullum exhorted his players to “go harder”, but the on-field reaction suggested a private reflection. At Old Trafford, England put on their most traditional batting display of the brave new era, with Ben Foakes at the heart of it. Five down with less than 150 on the board, England’s wicketkeeper made a slow-heartbeat century as Ben Stokes’ side responded with an innings victory of their own. 

England will resume tomorrow morning on 304-7.

Predictions for Day Two?#INDvENG pic.twitter.com/QrgiBmC8XS

— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) February 23, 2024

Having reset himself in Surrey’s indoor school after a Lord’s mauling by Anrich Nortje – an assault that inevitably brought fresh questions about his game against extreme pace – he saw off the quicks and accumulated calmly, three figures arriving via a back cut against the bowler who had dismissed him twice in the previous Test. It felt at the time like a full stop on the first part of his career, a first home Test hundred in his first home Test summer showing that he deserved to be more than an overseas stopgap. And yet he has been in and out of the side ever since.

For Old Trafford 2022 read Ranchi 2024, so far at least. England turn up battered, their approach in question and the series on the line. Again they’re left rocking, five down in the first session, and again it’s Foakes who hunkers down. He and Joe Root score at just over two an over and also play out the first wicketless session of the series. While Root rediscovers how comforting cruise control can be, Foakes is in his own bubble, scoring at barely a run every four balls. A straight drive pings the stumps. Fielders fling themselves to stop boundaries, of which only two come in his first 117 deliveries, but there’s little sign of the pressure building.

And why should there be? After some of the toughest batting conditions they have faced all series, closing in on 250-5 is a minor miracle. And while England have put away the ramps and the slogs, there is bravery nonetheless in the route taken. Foakes and Root could easily have taken the pea-roller which pinned Stokes lbw to end the first session as license to hit out, instead of waiting for the killer blow. Instead, they assess, correctly, that with a few tweaks survival is possible, even if scoring will prove tricky. The uneven bounce makes sweeping unwise, and India settle for restricting the runs rather than searching for wickets. So England make them toil.

The discussion of Foakes’ worth warrants little retreading, with both sides entrenched and each argument with its merits and fallbacks. But this was a reminder of exactly what kind of player Foakes is. The batter/keeper dichotomy has always done all involved a disservice, and also ignores that, at the crease, Foakes doesn’t bat like a keeper. Slogging with the tail is not his strength. Instead, he is one of England’s arch partnership builders, steadying the pulse and playing the foil. Foakes has now been involved in six century stands under Stokes. Root averages 64 in his company, the best of any batter he has had five or more stands with. 

"What he's done today is what marks him out as one of the greats." 🙌

Joe Root's masterful century in Ranchi is one of his very best 💯

🗣️ @Yas_Wisden | @Phil_Wisden

Listen: https://t.co/zKF0aOn7lp
Watch: https://t.co/UcvSlwuH4Z#INDvENG pic.twitter.com/06Dz0CInLP

— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) February 23, 2024

With the new ball just visible on the horizon, Foakes senses his moment. He targets the leg-side off R Ashwin, and opens his six account and doubles his fours tally in the space of four balls. In a flash, he has moved from a stodgy thirty to within three off a game-changing fifty. It’s perfectly judged.

And then it happens. Mohammed Siraj is reintroduced, finds some reverse swing, and Foakes inside-halfs it to mid-wicket. It’s a canny piece of bowling, but also an avoidable dismissal. Foakes thinks about throwing his bat, but catches it in time. Restraint shown, as he almost invariably does, but this time a moment too late. As often before, Foakes has played an innings of substance and value. And as often before, it has been cut short of becoming a true statement. He will know, because it has happened in the past, that he is never far from being a casualty of a selection dilemma. Each time the decision has felt harsh, but he has also never fully settled the discussion.

When Root reaches his hundred, he and Stokes share an Elvis-inspired celebration, a reminder that England’s captain wants his cricketers to be rockstars. Foakes may never take up that mantle, but there are few better at keeping the tempo. History tells us that when the debate comes again, England tend to fall on one side. Foakes’ Ranchi staunchness has kept England alive and shown his worth, but also ended just short of when he needed it to.