5th Test, Day 5, England v India- A dead rubber with a bit of bounce
It's always a sad moment when the Test cricket to be played in England finishes for another year. However, the last ball of this summer was not only enjoyable from the point of view that it sealed England's 4-1 series win but also momentous, as it gave Jimmy Anderson the world record for most wickets by a seamer in the history of Test cricket. Summer and Cook's career have come to an end source Set an improbable 464 to win, India started the day in defiant mood with KL Rahul and Rahane starting where they left off from last night. However, 2 quick wickets just before lunch threatened to bring the game to a swift conclusion before an incredible partnership of 204 in 267 balls between KL Rahul and Pant both of whom scored centuries gave India hope of a record run chase. Indeed it took a magical delivery from England's forgotten man this summer, Adil Rashid, to dismiss KL Rahul and from there the bowlers needed just 13 overs to mop up the last 4 wickets. Analysis of the Day's Play England's luxury pick finally comes off Adil Rashid has had a bit of an odd summer. He started it by stating that he wouldn't be playing any red ball cricket at all this year before changing his mind and gaining selection for the India series. However, for large parts of the 5 Tests that he has played in it feels as though he may as well have stuck to his original decision. Going into the final day's play of the series he had bowled a sum total of 72 overs across 9 innings, that's 5 overs less than Jadeja bowled in his one and only match! There was plenty of talk that England would leave him out of this game in favour of an extra batsman and in the short term I believe that that would have been a justifiable selection decision. However, it's clear that with both the decision to continue with Rashid and to recall Moeen Ali, England were looking as much towards their future series in Sri Lanka and the West Indies as they were the games against India. The fact that England stuck by these 2 players suggests that they will be England's first choice spinners in that series, backed up by Jack Leach who lost his England place as a result of injury earlier in the summer but has returned to fitness and form for Somerset in recent weeks. While the left-arm Leach would provide a steadier, more reliable option than Rashid it would be fair to say that he wouldn't be able to produce the kind of delivery that did for KL Rahul today The trajectory of Rashid's magic ball to KL Rahul source The hope for Rashid and for England is that the faith that has been put into him with the regular selection will ultimately pay dividends when he is able to produce these moments on a regular basis. But at the age of 30 and with 15 Tests under his belt, this winter could well prove to be a now or never moment in Rashid's red ball career. We can all score them when the pressures off It would be unfair not to give KL Rahul and Pant credit for their innings today. It was magnificent batting from the pair and i'd imagine there were a few nervous players in the England dressing room at tea, not least of all captain Joe Root who only last year lost a match against the West Indies after declaring in the 2nd innings. However, despite the efforts of the 2 young Indian batsmen, it does really suggest that in large part the problems that the India side have faced over here have been psychological as opposed to just technical. Where was this kind of positivity in the previous 4 games? There was a certainty and purpose in the way both KL Rahul and Pant played today compared to the scratchy kind of innings that we've seen from them over the past 6 weeks. Granted, England set attacking fields and as a result there were plenty of boundary opportunities but what most impressed me most was the positivity that they displayed in both attack and defence. I'd mentioned in an earlier blog that positive mindset was the key to successful batting and that only really Kohli had shown the ability to maintain that way of thinking/playing throughout the summer. I guess if you're an Indian fan you'd want these 2 players to bottle these innings up, remember how freely and easily they played and then recreate it in a competitive match environment as opposed to a game that in the end didn't really matter. Can these innings go on to kick start the Test careers out KL Rahul & Pant? source KL Rahul & Pant by the numbers KL Rahul shared in partnerships of 118 (Rahane) and 204 (Pant) that when combined account for 93% of the runs scored by India in the innings Pant became the first Indian keeper to score a century in England Pant also became the first Indian keeper to ever score a century in the 4th innings of a Test An unexpected treat to finish the series This has probably been one of the most enjoyable and memorable dead rubbers in the history of the game. It would have been very easy for India to switch off after a long tour and for England to have run through them, particularly once the game seemed lost at 2-3 last night. In fact that is precisely what happen on India's last tour of England! While the 5th match of that tour was not technically a dead rubber as the series was poised at 2-1 heading to the Oval, India were so far behind after the 1st innings (338 runs behind to be precise) that they knew they had no chance of winning the game and levelling the series 2-2. As a result India were dismissed for 94 in just 29 overs. The fight that India put up today was credit to the competitiveness that they have shown all summer. It seems very unfair for many of their players, in particular Kohli and the fast bowlers that they should be on the receiving end of a 4-1 scoreline. The result also got me thinking about what the best dead rubber in Test cricket history has been? As an England fan, we've actually been involved in a few, particularly against the strong Australia teams of the 1990's and early 2000's when we were generally 3-0 down with 2 to play and often ended up getting a consolation win. Perhaps the most famous dead rubber victory came in the 4th Test in Australia in 1998 where England successfully defended 175 during the Boxing Day Test to take an improbable win and give us English something to smile about. Of course this Test will be remembered as well for the plethora of records and champagne moments that it has provided. As well as the innings from the 2 young Indians mentioned above, we had already had a farewell century from Cook and today we were treated to James Anderson's record breaking feat. After the match Anderson, a man who is usually portrayed as a tough, batsman hating fast bowler was close to tears not only at the fact that he had achieved the record but that his great friend Alastair Cook's last moment on a Test match arena had been celebrating it with him. After 130 Tests together, Anderson and Cook leave the field with one last shared memory source Watch all the action from the final day's play on the below video AS ALWAYS, ALL GENUINE COMMENTS WILL RECEIVE AN UPVOTE
5th Test, Day 5, England v India- A dead rubber with a bit of bounce
It's always a sad moment when the Test cricket to be played in England finishes for another year. However, the last ball of this summer was not only enjoyable from the point of view that it sealed England's 4-1 series win but also momentous, as it gave Jimmy Anderson the world record for most wickets by a seamer in the history of Test cricket. Summer and Cook's career have come to an end source Set an improbable 464 to win, India started the day in defiant mood with KL Rahul and Rahane starting where they left off from last night. However, 2 quick wickets just before lunch threatened to bring the game to a swift conclusion before an incredible partnership of 204 in 267 balls between KL Rahul and Pant both of whom scored centuries gave India hope of a record run chase. Indeed it took a magical delivery from England's forgotten man this summer, Adil Rashid, to dismiss KL Rahul and from there the bowlers needed just 13 overs to mop up the last 4 wickets. Analysis of the Day's Play England's luxury pick finally comes off Adil Rashid has had a bit of an odd summer. He started it by stating that he wouldn't be playing any red ball cricket at all this year before changing his mind and gaining selection for the India series. However, for large parts of the 5 Tests that he has played in it feels as though he may as well have stuck to his original decision. Going into the final day's play of the series he had bowled a sum total of 72 overs across 9 innings, that's 5 overs less than Jadeja bowled in his one and only match! There was plenty of talk that England would leave him out of this game in favour of an extra batsman and in the short term I believe that that would have been a justifiable selection decision. However, it's clear that with both the decision to continue with Rashid and to recall Moeen Ali, England were looking as much towards their future series in Sri Lanka and the West Indies as they were the games against India. The fact that England stuck by these 2 players suggests that they will be England's first choice spinners in that series, backed up by Jack Leach who lost his England place as a result of injury earlier in the summer but has returned to fitness and form for Somerset in recent weeks. While the left-arm Leach would provide a steadier, more reliable option than Rashid it would be fair to say that he wouldn't be able to produce the kind of delivery that did for KL Rahul today The trajectory of Rashid's magic ball to KL Rahul source The hope for Rashid and for England is that the faith that has been put into him with the regular selection will ultimately pay dividends when he is able to produce these moments on a regular basis. But at the age of 30 and with 15 Tests under his belt, this winter could well prove to be a now or never moment in Rashid's red ball career. We can all score them when the pressures off It would be unfair not to give KL Rahul and Pant credit for their innings today. It was magnificent batting from the pair and i'd imagine there were a few nervous players in the England dressing room at tea, not least of all captain Joe Root who only last year lost a match against the West Indies after declaring in the 2nd innings. However, despite the efforts of the 2 young Indian batsmen, it does really suggest that in large part the problems that the India side have faced over here have been psychological as opposed to just technical. Where was this kind of positivity in the previous 4 games? There was a certainty and purpose in the way both KL Rahul and Pant played today compared to the scratchy kind of innings that we've seen from them over the past 6 weeks. Granted, England set attacking fields and as a result there were plenty of boundary opportunities but what most impressed me most was the positivity that they displayed in both attack and defence. I'd mentioned in an earlier blog that positive mindset was the key to successful batting and that only really Kohli had shown the ability to maintain that way of thinking/playing throughout the summer. I guess if you're an Indian fan you'd want these 2 players to bottle these innings up, remember how freely and easily they played and then recreate it in a competitive match environment as opposed to a game that in the end didn't really matter. Can these innings go on to kick start the Test careers out KL Rahul & Pant? source KL Rahul & Pant by the numbers KL Rahul shared in partnerships of 118 (Rahane) and 204 (Pant) that when combined account for 93% of the runs scored by India in the innings Pant became the first Indian keeper to score a century in England Pant also became the first Indian keeper to ever score a century in the 4th innings of a Test An unexpected treat to finish the series This has probably been one of the most enjoyable and memorable dead rubbers in the history of the game. It would have been very easy for India to switch off after a long tour and for England to have run through them, particularly once the game seemed lost at 2-3 last night. In fact that is precisely what happen on India's last tour of England! While the 5th match of that tour was not technically a dead rubber as the series was poised at 2-1 heading to the Oval, India were so far behind after the 1st innings (338 runs behind to be precise) that they knew they had no chance of winning the game and levelling the series 2-2. As a result India were dismissed for 94 in just 29 overs. The fight that India put up today was credit to the competitiveness that they have shown all summer. It seems very unfair for many of their players, in particular Kohli and the fast bowlers that they should be on the receiving end of a 4-1 scoreline. The result also got me thinking about what the best dead rubber in Test cricket history has been? As an England fan, we've actually been involved in a few, particularly against the strong Australia teams of the 1990's and early 2000's when we were generally 3-0 down with 2 to play and often ended up getting a consolation win. Perhaps the most famous dead rubber victory came in the 4th Test in Australia in 1998 where England successfully defended 175 during the Boxing Day Test to take an improbable win and give us English something to smile about. Of course this Test will be remembered as well for the plethora of records and champagne moments that it has provided. As well as the innings from the 2 young Indians mentioned above, we had already had a farewell century from Cook and today we were treated to James Anderson's record breaking feat. After the match Anderson, a man who is usually portrayed as a tough, batsman hating fast bowler was close to tears not only at the fact that he had achieved the record but that his great friend Alastair Cook's last moment on a Test match arena had been celebrating it with him. After 130 Tests together, Anderson and Cook leave the field with one last shared memory source Watch all the action from the final day's play on the below video AS ALWAYS, ALL GENUINE COMMENTS WILL RECEIVE AN UPVOTE
5th Test, Day 5, England v India- A dead rubber with a bit of bounce
It's always a sad moment when the Test cricket to be played in England finishes for another year. However, the last ball of this summer was not only enjoyable from the point of view that it sealed England's 4-1 series win but also momentous, as it gave Jimmy Anderson the world record for most wickets by a seamer in the history of Test cricket. Summer and Cook's career have come to an end source Set an improbable 464 to win, India started the day in defiant mood with KL Rahul and Rahane starting where they left off from last night. However, 2 quick wickets just before lunch threatened to bring the game to a swift conclusion before an incredible partnership of 204 in 267 balls between KL Rahul and Pant both of whom scored centuries gave India hope of a record run chase. Indeed it took a magical delivery from England's forgotten man this summer, Adil Rashid, to dismiss KL Rahul and from there the bowlers needed just 13 overs to mop up the last 4 wickets. Analysis of the Day's Play England's luxury pick finally comes off Adil Rashid has had a bit of an odd summer. He started it by stating that he wouldn't be playing any red ball cricket at all this year before changing his mind and gaining selection for the India series. However, for large parts of the 5 Tests that he has played in it feels as though he may as well have stuck to his original decision. Going into the final day's play of the series he had bowled a sum total of 72 overs across 9 innings, that's 5 overs less than Jadeja bowled in his one and only match! There was plenty of talk that England would leave him out of this game in favour of an extra batsman and in the short term I believe that that would have been a justifiable selection decision. However, it's clear that with both the decision to continue with Rashid and to recall Moeen Ali, England were looking as much towards their future series in Sri Lanka and the West Indies as they were the games against India. The fact that England stuck by these 2 players suggests that they will be England's first choice spinners in that series, backed up by Jack Leach who lost his England place as a result of injury earlier in the summer but has returned to fitness and form for Somerset in recent weeks. While the left-arm Leach would provide a steadier, more reliable option than Rashid it would be fair to say that he wouldn't be able to produce the kind of delivery that did for KL Rahul today The trajectory of Rashid's magic ball to KL Rahul source The hope for Rashid and for England is that the faith that has been put into him with the regular selection will ultimately pay dividends when he is able to produce these moments on a regular basis. But at the age of 30 and with 15 Tests under his belt, this winter could well prove to be a now or never moment in Rashid's red ball career. We can all score them when the pressures off It would be unfair not to give KL Rahul and Pant credit for their innings today. It was magnificent batting from the pair and i'd imagine there were a few nervous players in the England dressing room at tea, not least of all captain Joe Root who only last year lost a match against the West Indies after declaring in the 2nd innings. However, despite the efforts of the 2 young Indian batsmen, it does really suggest that in large part the problems that the India side have faced over here have been psychological as opposed to just technical. Where was this kind of positivity in the previous 4 games? There was a certainty and purpose in the way both KL Rahul and Pant played today compared to the scratchy kind of innings that we've seen from them over the past 6 weeks. Granted, England set attacking fields and as a result there were plenty of boundary opportunities but what most impressed me most was the positivity that they displayed in both attack and defence. I'd mentioned in an earlier blog that positive mindset was the key to successful batting and that only really Kohli had shown the ability to maintain that way of thinking/playing throughout the summer. I guess if you're an Indian fan you'd want these 2 players to bottle these innings up, remember how freely and easily they played and then recreate it in a competitive match environment as opposed to a game that in the end didn't really matter. Can these innings go on to kick start the Test careers out KL Rahul & Pant? source KL Rahul & Pant by the numbers KL Rahul shared in partnerships of 118 (Rahane) and 204 (Pant) that when combined account for 93% of the runs scored by India in the innings Pant became the first Indian keeper to score a century in England Pant also became the first Indian keeper to ever score a century in the 4th innings of a Test An unexpected treat to finish the series This has probably been one of the most enjoyable and memorable dead rubbers in the history of the game. It would have been very easy for India to switch off after a long tour and for England to have run through them, particularly once the game seemed lost at 2-3 last night. In fact that is precisely what happen on India's last tour of England! While the 5th match of that tour was not technically a dead rubber as the series was poised at 2-1 heading to the Oval, India were so far behind after the 1st innings (338 runs behind to be precise) that they knew they had no chance of winning the game and levelling the series 2-2. As a result India were dismissed for 94 in just 29 overs. The fight that India put up today was credit to the competitiveness that they have shown all summer. It seems very unfair for many of their players, in particular Kohli and the fast bowlers that they should be on the receiving end of a 4-1 scoreline. The result also got me thinking about what the best dead rubber in Test cricket history has been? As an England fan, we've actually been involved in a few, particularly against the strong Australia teams of the 1990's and early 2000's when we were generally 3-0 down with 2 to play and often ended up getting a consolation win. Perhaps the most famous dead rubber victory came in the 4th Test in Australia in 1998 where England successfully defended 175 during the Boxing Day Test to take an improbable win and give us English something to smile about. Of course this Test will be remembered as well for the plethora of records and champagne moments that it has provided. As well as the innings from the 2 young Indians mentioned above, we had already had a farewell century from Cook and today we were treated to James Anderson's record breaking feat. After the match Anderson, a man who is usually portrayed as a tough, batsman hating fast bowler was close to tears not only at the fact that he had achieved the record but that his great friend Alastair Cook's last moment on a Test match arena had been celebrating it with him. After 130 Tests together, Anderson and Cook leave the field with one last shared memory source Watch all the action from the final day's play on the below video AS ALWAYS, ALL GENUINE COMMENTS WILL RECEIVE AN UPVOTE