It was supposed to be a day of celebration. Last evening, Alastair Cook was presented with 33 bottles of beer, with personal messages on each, in the press conference. He had gone out on a high with the bat, and it was almost foretold that a few more hours into the final day, he would be walking off to another big ovation when England wrap up the series 4-1.
Even the crowd had expected as much. It was the lowest it had been at The Oval over the last five days. They had everything to cheer for, and with India reeling at 58/3, the final day was expected to be a formality. Except, it wasn't. KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant ensured it wasn't. England may have run out victors in the end, but the pair ensured they had to fight for it.
England's frustration over the day continued to grow. Ben Stokes kicked the ball back in disgust after conceding three boundaries in an over to Pant. Stuart Broad kicked away at the boundary hoardings after another four. Joe Root himself bowled off spin, leg spin and seam up in order to somehow prise out a wicket. Adil Rashid went really wide of off or pitched it way down leg to frustrate the batsmen into committing a mistake. But for a long time, it did not stop Rahul and Pant from their rampage.
It was surprising that they took the route in the first place. India had a near perfect first hour, with Rahul and Ajinkya Rahane looking to be positive. It is what had helped Rahul get to his highest score this series the previous evening, and he continued looking for runs. Rahane too joined in, and on a pitch that was progressively getting slower, they were able to play without any alarms.
It was when Rahane and Hanuma Vihari fell in quick succession that the feeling of the game getting over quickly surfaced again. India were five down and still more than 300 runs away from victory. But Rahul and Pant decided to keep India in the hunt by taking on the bowlers.
It was further helped by some listless captaincy by Root. James Anderson was taken off the attack after four overs and did not bowl till late in the second session. Stuart Broad too was similar, although more understandable given he had a rib injury. Sam Curran had just one bowl in the first session and was not needed in the second. It was almost as if Root had decided to give the slower bowlers more practice ahead of the Sri Lanka tour, and even when Rahul and Pant went for their shots and were scoring briskly, did not bring his main bowlers back into the game.
Stokes was the preferred option in the second session, and even he resorted to a short ball ploy that leaned on India making the mistake rather than England getting rewards for bowling well. It finally took Root bringing back Anderson into the attack for England to regain some control, and eventually breakthrough.
But, back to India's duo. Rahul had set the tone early. He looked to cut anything that was marginally short, and drive anything that was full. He showed it was the game that suited him best. Over the last four Tests, Rahul has been out trying to defend numerous times. At The Oval he showed how easily he's able to transfer pressure on to the opposition if he attacks.
With Pant, one could guess what was coming. He had banked on his attacking instincts throughout and it was almost certain that there was only one way he was going to play. Every time the spinners gave him some flight, he went hard - almost as if he was trying to smash the leather off it - at the ball. And with the pacers he showed the had the technique to not only be deft, but also use his power to score in front of the wicket. Pant may play only one way, but his restraint in not going after deliveries that aren't in his range is commendable, even if there is scope for improvement.
They put on 204 at a superb pace, and even lit up some hopes of a miraculous Indian victory before Adil Rashid ripped in an unplayable delivery that pitched way outside leg and took Rahul's off stump. Maybe this was Root's plan after all. The bowl-wide-to-Pant tactic worked too soon after, with the left-hander holing out to long off after making his maiden Test hundred.
It also showed how easily England wilted under pressure. India may have been 1-3 down in the series and five wickets away from another defeat, but it was clear to see how rattled they got when Rahul and Pant went on the attack. This has been a series of harsh lessons for the Indian team, but sadly almost all of them have come a Test or two late. In this case, it came after the series was surrendered.
Pant and Rahul showed the merits of playing uninhibited cricket, and the situation was ripe for them to take advantage of. A switched-off England will heave a sigh of relief, and India can perhaps walk back with a sense of pride.
In the end, the match stretched to the final hour, just to show how competitive the series has been. It also went England's way, which, unfortunately for India, is the only thing that matters
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