The English Frontier: In Pursuit of Perfection

When Virat’s troops landed on English soil in May 2021, the quest was not limited to being the first-ever World Test Champions. Yes, that was the bigger of the two goals. But the team was equally determined to regain the Pataudi Trophy that has evaded India since 2007. The wounds of 4-1 drubbing in 2018 were still fresh and the WTC final loss to New Zealand added to the team's woes. Add to that the precarious situation of functioning in bio-bubbles due to the deadly Covid-19 outbreak.

The visitors weren’t having it easy. Overcoming the English frontier demanded perfection. But if there is one thing that has come out significantly over the last few years is the Indian team’s resolve to survive and ‘win at all costs' attitude. The victory scenes at the Gabba after India lifted the Border Gavaskar Trophy in 2021 are still fresh in public memory. This perfection of skill, mental fortitude and adaptability became India’s strength in the series against England.

Cricket calendar is riding on borderline funny but this one beats them all. The drama that unfolded in August 2021 ultimately concluded almost an year later in July 2022. The team management (s) changed. Ravi Shastri is no more the India coach and is instead holding the mike in the commentary box. McCullum is in-charge for England. Virat and Root have passed the leadership baton to Stokes and Bumrah (with Rohit being unavailable). It certainly wasn't the most easiest of series to keep track of.

India’s belief and self-confidence to pull out a miracle from the toughest of situations was evident though. The first one of those came in the Lord's Test. A 27-run first innings English lead was nullified by two invaluable batting partnerships: 100 runs between Pujara and Rahane for the 4th wicket and 89 runs between Bumrah and Shami for the 9th wicket, the latter one unarguably being the more enthralling and impactful. The lethal fast-bowling quartet combining seam, swing and bounce emphatically routed the English batting in a meagre 51.5 overs to set up a thrilling final day victory.

If the victory at the home of cricket was pulsating, the victory at the Oval, first in fifty years, felt emotional. The team was down and out having conceded a lead of 99 runs in the first innings. A second innings surge led by a scintillating Rohit Sharma century brought India back in the contest. Hosts were set a target of 368, on a flat and easy to bat wicket. The Indian pace quartet, along with the able services of Ravindra Jadeja took the surface out of the equation. Bumrah’s electric spell of 6-3-6-2 shifted the momentum in India's favour. Result was a mammoth 157-run win.

No other format values partnership than Test cricket. A new opening pair in the form of KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma laid the foundation for India. They not only successfully negotiated the new ball spell from English pacers under testing conditions but also shielded the fragile middle order. The duo aggregated 421 runs from 8 innings which included three 50+ stands. They were cautious, yet full of intent. They chose their battles carefully and ensured that English bowlers had to toil hard for wickets.

There was a lot of noise around Rohit Sharma, the Test batter before the start of the series. He has often been criticized for his lack of technique and temperament in the longest format, particularly overseas. Just when the world was getting ready to write him off, he decided to script his own fairytale. It started with bidding goodbye to “ This is my natural game. I will play like this” philosophy. Adjustments to his batting approach followed. He was focused and disciplined. There was a lot more respect for the harsh English conditions.

His desperation to succeed in this format was evident. Emerging as the top scorer for India with 368 runs at an impressive average of 52.67 and the third-leading scorer in the series after Joe Root, Rohit Sharma inched closer to perfection associated with Test batting. The flamboyant opener also scored his first away century in the fourth Test at the Oval, a feat which took him 47 innings to accomplish. But is it too late for Rohit now? Well, only time will tell.

While talking about perfection, how can we not talk about Joe Root and James Anderson? The pillars of the English Test team were at their very best throughout the summer. Root was the lone warrior in the English batting line-up. He amassed 737 runs in the series and looked the most comfortable among both sides while batting. The pitch, weather conditions and bowling line-up didn’t seem to thwart his elegance, style and flair.

On the other hand, the 39-year-old James Anderson did what he always does - make the ball talk. His display of swing bowling is like a magician's ode to the art. You can't take away your eyes from him when he is on the job. I hope he has a lot more in store for the connoisseurs of Test cricket.

In between two electric victories, also came a humiliating loss. Just when the fans were moving on from the Adelaide debacle (36 all-out) from Australia in 2020, the fragilities in the Indian batting line-up crept up again. The Indian team were bundled for 78 in the first innings of the third Test. The top order failed, exposing the instability of the middle order. An innings defeat followed.

The final test shared the same destiny. India came into the fifth test with a 2-1 lead. They gained an impressive 132-run lead against the hosts in the first innings. The win looked certain. But then the second innings happened. The batters collectively lost the plot. Jonny Bairstow was invincible and made a mockery of the Indian bowling line-up. He stamped his authority on the match and cruised England to a series levelling victory with centuries in both the innings.

This pattern makes it evident that India needs to plug certain gaps. Rectify those repeating mistakes. A golden opportunity seems lost. Maybe the result would have been different if the final test had not been postponed. But the wait for Pataudi trophy shall continue. And so will the journey towards perfection.

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