Indian batsmen can’t blame pitch with low bounce for their failures
When the second day ended, the sun was a distant, drowning spot in the Ranchi skies. The backdrop was more akin to an English evening, and the sorry scorecard would suggest that India were subjected to a harrowing spell of swing and seam bowling.
The story couldn’t have been more conflicting, as it was not the seaming ball but the spinning ball that confounded India’s batsmen.
Paras Mhambrey, India’s bowling coach, would take objection to calling the surface a turner. ‘It was not a turner,’ he emphasized. ‘No ball spun alarmingly. It was the low bounce that made batting difficult here,’ he added.
When variable bounce kicks in, batting becomes nightmarish. Anywhere in the world; any time of a Test match. Suddenly, the judgement fades, the confidence fizzles and doubts creep in. It’s like watching a horror movie, even when you watch the quiet passage, you are on the edge of the sofa, breaking into a cold sweat, fearing a sudden pang of dread lurking in the corner.
Many a ball kept low in Ranchi. Some were so devious that the batsman could just hold their breath and thank their luck for leaving them unharmed. Technically, low bounce consumed just the wicket of Yashasvi Jaiswal, not a grubber like Ben Stokes faced but still low. It’s a familiar devil on most Indian surfaces, but usually does not interfere as early as in the second session of the second day. Mbambrey admitted as much: ‘We didn’t expect it this early.’ Or perhaps this low.
Static feet
But as vile as the bounce was, Indian batsmen made their own life miserable. Static feet and frozen minds were the predominant theme of their dressing room march. Instructive is the example of Shubman Gill. For much of the innings, Gill’s footwork was fluid. He essayed a brace of gorgeous off-drives, one apiece of James Anderson and Ollie Robinson. Both were just extensions of a defensive push, wherein he smoothly transferred his weight onto the front-foot.
- Consequently, the England seamers shortened their length, the ensuing short balls he gracefully cut to the fence. Gill has been diligently working on this aspect of the game in the nets, and so far his front-foot had been moving fluidly. But against Shoaib Bashir, the front foot seemed chained to the crease.
