'India were a bit hard done by the weather gods'
'Suddenly, it looked like a completely different Test match. England could very well get a big score, because even someone like Jasprit Bumrah found it hard to bowl a wicket-taking delivery on this surface'
India may have made tactical errors, but former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar believes the bigger culprit was the weather.
Gloomy skies turned sunny, the pitch eased out, and England took full advantage — leaving India to rue more than just missed lengths.
After grinding their way to 358 in challenging conditions on Day One, India saw the skies open up for England’s innings, both literally and figuratively. The sharp seam movement and overcast gloom that had tormented Indian batters vanished. In its place came sunshine and a much friendlier pitch for the hosts.
“What this tells us is that India were a bit hard done by the weather gods,” Manjrekar said on JioHotstar.
“During their batting, there were dark grey clouds, some moisture -- it looked like a black-and-white movie at one point. But today, the pitch really eased up, and the skies cleared.”
As England's openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett settled in, India's bowlers struggled for control and breakthroughs. Even Jasprit Bumrah, who’s been India’s go-to weapon this series, appeared toothless in the bright conditions.
“Suddenly, it looked like a completely different Test match. England could very well get a big score, because even someone like Jasprit Bumrah found it hard to bowl a wicket-taking delivery on this surface,” Manjrekar added.
“So yes, India will be glad they got those two wickets when they did.”
With Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh and Akash Deep all ruled out, debutant Anshul Kamboj was thrust into the spotlight. Sharing the new ball with Bumrah, the young pacer had a forgettable start, especially as Duckett mercilessly targeted him.
“It’s tough, especially for someone making his debut. Ben Duckett was merciless and targeted Kamboj just because he was new. There wasn’t much in the pitch for him,” Manjrekar observed.
“Bumrah looked the least threatening he has this entire series -- so we have to see the other bowlers in that light too.”
Mohammed Siraj faded quickly, and though Shardul Thakur bowled a few promising deliveries, his inconsistency once again came under scrutiny.
“Shardul Thakur bowled a few good balls, but there’s always a boundary around the corner with him. That will be a problem for India — the run rate,” Manjrekar noted.
“Perhaps spin should have come on earlier. Jadeja only came in after the 26th over, and that’s something the team management may need to rethink when conditions offer nothing for seam.”
The Crawley-Duckett pair piled on a 166-run stand before Ravindra Jadeja finally broke through, removing Crawley. Shortly after, Kamboj found his rhythm and dismissed Duckett just six runs short of a century, inducing an edge to keeper Dhruv Jurel.
“I’m very happy for Kamboj — there are clear signs that he has potential. He’s got a simple, repeatable action, but he can’t afford to bowl back of a length or good length at under 130 kph. That’s an area for improvement,” Manjrekar said in praise of the debutant.
“To be fair, the pitch also changed dramatically on Day 2, so he didn’t get much help either.”
As things stand, India will take heart from the two wickets late in the day — small relief in a session dominated by England and dictated, as Manjrekar suggested, by the sun rather than the seam.
