If there’s a way, there’s a win

The Indian team celebrate their win over England at The Oval on Monday. Pic/Bipin Patel

It was so fitting to see the current Indian team winning at The Oval, with cricket enthusiasts and ex-players mindful of the golden jubilee of the 1971 series win over England, achieved at the same venue way back then.

By the way, when I say "cricket enthusiasts and ex-players" I mean only them and not the establishment, who has done nothing to suggest that they truly appreciate the efforts of Ajit Wadekar & Co to win that historic series. Some in the BCCI may need reminding that the 1971 team also won in the Caribbean. Yes sirs, it was India's first series win over the West Indies - be it home or away.

The 1971 team appear to be all set to be passed over for honours, but you never know what can happen in cricket and that includes administration. One is hoping that one of them - probably the president Sourav Ganguly - may just realise that it's not just right to turn a blind eye to our 1971 heroes.

Be that as it may, The Oval 2021 must go down as one of the finest Test wins by an Indian side. Despite losing the toss and coming up with a near-feeble first innings score of 191 on a good pitch, they knocked out England in a domineering show that will, and must, be talked about for ages.

On the batting front it was quite an Indian feast of 50-plus and under-100 vital individual scores.

Captain Virat Kohli slugged it out for a first innings 50 amidst ruins and when it all looked like yet another situation of the Test match being lost on the first day itself (127-7 when Rishabh Pant walked back to the pavilion), Shardul Thakur made it clear to England that he was there to make it count.

His 57 off just 36 balls was entertainment of supreme quality. His driving on the up would attract the envy of any top-order batsman and his pull shots proved that he can destroy an attack. The first of his half centuries gave the Indian bowlers a total to fancy themselves for a hit-back.

Jasprit Bumrah sent back openers Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed, who weren't exactly expected to be around long enough for the opening bowlers to wipe the first beads of sweat off their foreheads. But Umesh Yadav's run - in which he despatched Joe Root, Craig Overton and David Malan in the space of 10 runs - was a message of confirmation to the team management that sitting out of the Test playing XI for more than eight months had not made him rusty.

The big blow was struck by Thakur when he crashed the stumps of a well-set Ollie Pope. If that was an important scalp, there were two more in the second innings when England had every right to believe that they could prevent an Indian victory. At 100-0, Thakur produced a gem and a faint edge went to wicketkeeper Pant to kick off animated celebrations.

The greatness of this Indian team is that when one barely finishes waxing eloquent on one player, another one comes up with a brilliant performance. What followed the exit of the openers was Bumrah's spell in which he dismissed Pope and Jonny Bairstow. Then came Jadeja's effort that sent the second England batsman on his way with a duck against his name - the obdurate Moeen Ali. That was before the England captain Root heard the death rattle through an inside edge off Thakur. The dismissal of the in-form captain literally proved that there's no hope for a tree if you uproot it (pun intended). Yadav cleaned up the tail, taking his match tally to six.

The player-of-the-match award went to Rohit Sharma for his 127, which helped India put up a massive 466 after the first innings disappointment. However, there is merit in the debate over whether Thakur should have got the award for his all-round show. In any case, Rohit settling well into the opener's role is great news for India and his maiden Test century abroad means there's more to come in overseas conditions.

Indian brilliance was written all over in The Oval Test. They came back in the series in the most emphatic way and it must be highlighted that both their victories in this series (Lord's and The Oval) were achieved despite conceding the first innings lead. Among other things, it showed that a bumpy road is no reason to turn back.

Kohli has deserved all the accolades for his leadership in the Test. His tactical decisions, field placements and bowling changes were spot-on.

Root may have scored far more runs as compared to his rival skipper, but you don't need a genius to figure out who the better captain is in this series.

If there is an area in which Kohli has left people perplexed, it is the decision to keep Ravichandran Ashwin out of the playing XI. Supporters of that call can say that India have won more than they have lost in the ongoing Pataudi Trophy series with this combination and what ultimately matters is the win-loss column.

There is no good reason to keep Jadeja out of the playing XI for Manchester and if the winning combination has to be tampered with, it could be the exclusion of Ajinkya Rahane. To throw the vice-captain a lifeline or have him sit out for the crucial final Test is a big call to take. Not many captains would like to be in Kohli's shoes; not even ones who hold the lead in a series. Over to Old Trafford, Manchester.

mid-day's group sports editor Clayton Murzello is a purist with an open stance. He tweets @ClaytonMurzello
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