Does India Have The Option To Play Their Second Innings First Against England?
Let us just put some light on the number of times India has scored over 350 runs in their last seven matches in the first inning. The sequence of the innings goes like 165 in Wellington, 242 in Christchurch, 244 in Adelaide, 326 in Melbourne, 244 in Sydney, 336 in Brisbane, and also 337 in Chennai. Although the majority of these test matches are played away from home there is a saying that bad habits can outgrow all the good virtues seamlessly.
Due to a couple of magnificent efforts in the fourth innings at a drawn test match in Sydney and a historic win at Brisbane, one can very well overlook the above fact. Nevertheless, it has been a crucial reality. And until that time, India improves upon that it is very much impossible for them to beat the English team even at home.
Forget about winning a test match, there has been no team in the history of the game that has managed more than a score of 387 runs in their fourth inning even to draw a test match in India. This will make the batting effort by India in the first innings that much more important if the England team had batted first.
Regarding the fourth inning of a test match either in SCG or the test match at Brisbane, there has been a draw and win respectively and it was imminent and this kind of immediacy has made it even more motivating for the team. But one has to drop an anchor specifically in the first inning of a test match whether the team is batting first or batting for the second time, this will not going to give you an immediate high. This is because it is batting without any clear destination and it is more challenging mentally.
So, the question that arises is which batsman is most likely to deliver for India against England in the first inning? If India happens to bat first, they are going to negotiate the early morning conditions as part of Day 1which they have not done so far against any quality bowling unit since the time they played the Sydney test couple of years ago.
Recently, India has batted first in the Adelaide Test, but that match was a day-night contest. When India batted early morning after a gap of quite a few months in the World Cup semifinal in 2019, they have just surrendered to New Zealand. So, if India wins the toss and decides to bat first in the second test match, it could be very much like a double-edged sword.
But if England bat first, the Indian bowlers will have to ensure that the English team is not allowed to score anything more than 400 runs. It is very difficult to chase a big total and it is even difficult for an accomplished batsman as there can be pressure and mental fatigue.
I am Darryl Broadhurst and i give investors an insight into the most recent news hitting the “Technology” sector in Wall Street. I have been an independent financial adviser for over 11 years in the city and in recent years turned my experience in finance and passion for journalism into a full time role. I perform analysis of Companies and publicizes valuable information for shareholder community.
