India v England, 2nd Test Day Four: Five Things We Learned

England have battled hard on day four of their second Test against India in Visakhapatnam, but they are still facing a massive defeat. Here are the things we learned from today’s play.

MAN OF THE DAY - Virat Kohli (81)

As this cricketing era unfolds there is much talk of who amongst the best batsmen in the world will achieve greatness. In order to do that you need to be able to perform in all formats of the game, and while Virat Kohli’s ascent to the pinnacle of ODI and T20 cricket happened a while back, there are still those that have questioned his ability to boss Test matches. That criticism of Kohli no longer makes any sense. By the end of this England series he will pass 1000 Test runs in a calendar year for the first time, a total that includes two double tons in 2016. When Kohli fell in the second innings for 81, to a brilliant catch by Ben Stokes off the bowling of Rashid, he had brought his match total to 248 runs, the second highest of his career. England only managed 255 runs between them in their first innings and Kohli almost matched that on his own.

Responsibility for Rashid

It was only three Test matches ago that Adil Rashid was a figure on the periphery of Alastair Cook’s thinking; thrown the ball as an afterthought when all else had failed. In this Test he was given a huge amount of responsibility and treated as England’s frontline spin bowler for the first time in his career He bowled 34.4 overs in the first innings and 24 in the second, meaning he bowled the most overs in a Test in his career to date, and did so with his best economy rate. Rashid now has 13 wickets in this series, the most by any bowler on either side, and he seems to have finally found his feet in Test cricket after a long wait for a debut and then a stuttering start. The question for Rashid will be whether he can press for selection for Tests that aren’t in Asia. It is a long time before England visit that continent again, and it would be a real shame if this blossoming of Rashid as a Test bowler was not rewarding with Tests in differing conditions.

Stuart has Broad shoulders

Running in to bowl with a bruised tendon on his right foot that was clearly causing him serious discomfort, Stuart Broad was England’s man most likely throughout morning session on day four in Vizag. Combining leg-cutters with full paced deliveries, Broad continued to take advantage of the pronounced uneven bounce that was evident throughout the fourth day. Broad got one ball to take off from a good length, taking the glove of Ajinkya Rahane to first slip, while others barely reached shin height. The 4 for 33 is the best figures Broad has ever managed in Asia, and his best in India by an even bigger margin. The concern for England will be that when they arrive in Mohali, Broad will not be fit. Traditionally the pitch at the IS Bindra Stadium has been one that suits seam bowlers, and while it may have been Broad’s turn to sit out because of England’s rotation policy, on this form there may have been a rethink.

England should stick to strength

While it is understandable that England wanted to pick spinners in India, it has meant that they have not picked their best bowlers. Having three slow bowling options that all differ in style sounds like the perfect team make-up, but it will only bring you results if the spinners you pick have the skill to claim them. Zafar Ansari has been little more than a spectator since he bowled the last of his 12 first innings overs on Thursday. Since then his only contribution of note has been throwing up while fielding. It is important to note that it is England’s batting that lost them this Test, not their bowling, but if Ansari is going to be unused it makes more sense to pick your best bowlers rather than your most varied. With Broad’s sore tendon making his participation in Mohali unlikely it could be that Ansari is given one more go. But as well as Rashid has bowled in this Test, England’s strength is their seam bowling. If Broad can’t play he will be missed, and as talented as Ansari is an England attack that includes Broad, James Anderson and Chris Woakes has more likelihood of success, even in India.

Blocking is beautiful

For all the excited squeals that Twenty20 cricket generates in commentary boxes around the world, there is little better than a batsman deciding that his only job is not to get out. England walked out to bat with 150 overs left in this match, and an impossible target stretched out in front of them like a featureless desert. It was a dream scenario for two opening batsmen who like nothing more than not getting out. All the talk of Haseeb Hameed as nothing more than a belligerent blocker before he made his Test debut does him a disservice, but he has a solid defensive technique and had the perfect opportunity to show it off. Cook and Hameed found that while the pitch was playing some tricks if you didn’t take any liberties you could survive, and survive they did. They faced 303 balls and scored 75 runs in a partnership that could prove to be the start of a match-saving effort, but there is a long, long, long way to go. That target of a draw get even further.