Achievement:
India had a good chance to go up 1-0 till the fifth day and the captain Virat Kohli Was disappointed that he didn’t get a chance to strike first in the five-Test series. Incidentally, India’s last match Nottingham Earlier – the 2019 World Cup league match against New Zealand, to which they eventually lost in the semi-finals – was also washed out.
Despite the fact that India could not go up 1-0, there were a lot of positives for the team. Captain Kohli clarified that the best thing about the first Test was that he had “made a blueprint” for the series.
“Adaptability is important, but it should be the blueprint for the series,” Kohli said.
The four-pacer theory, which includes bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur, and a spinner who can be effective with the bat (Ravindra Jadeja) could mean that world’s top spinner Ravichandran Ashwin may have to spend more time outside the playing XI. Is.
Mayank Agarwal’s injury to go for the Test could prove to be a boon for the team for a few days as KL Rahul was asked to open.
The Karnataka player, who was in the side as a back-up middle-order batsman, took advantage of his opportunity and showed great flair to score 84 in the first innings against some good swing bowling.
“At this stage you have to make the most of the opportunities that come your way. I am glad that I was able to do what was expected of me and I hope it continues,” said Rahul.
Indian tail-enders also made significant contributions away from home. Here Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Siraj added 49 runs in the first innings which could have been crucial if the rain had not stopped.
“It was the hard work of the last three weeks that is paying off,” Kohli said of his tail-enders.
Bumrah had not seen his best performance in the last few Test matches. It looked like he had lost the outgoing delivery to the right-handed batsman and it made him predictable in the final of the World Test Championship as well.
But Bumrah got that delivery to work from the start and it took him nine wickets.
“It is a delivery that I have perfected in 2018. For the time being, I may lack the confidence to execute it properly. But I worked on it during the break and it turned out well in this Test,” Bumrah said in a TV interview.
In the absence of all-rounder Hardik Pandya, finding a replacement was crucial. Shardul looked good with the ball, taking four crucial wickets. He did not succeed with the bat but the team management believes that he will be ready for it going forward.
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