After going down in the first Test match, the Indian cricket team managed to put on a clinical display in the second game as they defeated England by 317 runs to level the series 1-1. The Chennai Test had plenty of action and talking points as Rohit Sharma scored a fine ton before R Ashwin stole the show with a hundred and an eight-wicket haul.
Here are the learnings from the second Test between India and England.
The pitch had little to do with England’s loss
The Chennai track came under the scanner when the ball began to turn massively whilst puffing up dust along the way from Day 1 of the Test. The track was called a ‘beach’ by a number of former English experts, who expressed concern if the track would last for five days. In reality, the pitch turned out to be anything but unplayable, and it only needed application from the batters to get runs here. This can be judged from the way players such as Rohit, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant, Virat Kohli and Ashwin batted in the game, playing their strokes freely.
On the other hand, the English players’ poor approach meant that they could never get a grip of the conditions on offer. They focused on survival instead of attacking the bowlers, and they did not survive long enough to make the most of the SG ball that is typically easier to face once it loses shine. In both innings, England lost five wickets inside 24 overs, which meant that they did not make the best use of the older ball.
India’s rich pool of spinners
After the injury to Ravindra Jadeja on the tour of Australia, there was much talk about his replacement. In less than a month, India have found both Washington Sundar and Axar Patel who can make the XI in case of an injury to either lead spinner. Sundar impressed with the bat whenever presented with an opportunity, while Axar emerged as a revelation. His pace and round-arm action allowed him to extract adequate bounce; on this surface, he could find substantial turn; and he boasts of canny variations. Like Jadeja, who would have been equally handy on the track at the Chepauk, Axar thrived here.
With Kuldeep Yadav and Shahbaz Nadeem in the ranks as well, the Indian team have a rich plethora of spinners, much like they have a vast pool of fast bowlers.
Stuart Broad and his weakness in Asian pitches
Stuart Broad is regarded as one of the most impactful bowlers in Test cricket, but his numbers in Asia paint a torrid picture. Overall, Broad has picked up 517 wickets in 145 Test matches at an average of 27.68 and a strike rate of 56.6. However, his numbers in Asian conditions are anything but ideal. In 20 Test matches here, Broad has 44 wickets at 37.72 (4.9 more than his average in any continent) at a strike rate of 82.3. Not one of his 18 five-wicket hauls has come in Asia, and he has gone wicketless in 12 innings of the 36 that he has bowled in.
Broad managed to pick up a solitary wicket in the second Test against India after replacing James Anderson in the XI; his record in Asia may cast a cloud over what has otherwise been a wonderful career.