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India vs England 2nd Test: It's time for the middle-order to make it count

India middle-order consisting Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane has been underwhelming for a while now, and they need to fire in unison against England in the on-going Test series.

Indias middle-order woes

London, August 14: Vulnerable. It is not a word that you would associate with a middle-order batting line-up that consists of Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane. After all, they have a combined experience of 256 matches coming to the second Test at the Lord's against England.

Ironically, it is that middle-order now is giving India some worrying moments. Runs have come from KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja in this Test and in general as the more accomplished troika has been reduced to middling spectators.

Let's crunch some numbers as a beginning. Since the 2018 Oval Test against England, Jadeja is India's most prolific batsman abroad with an average of 44.72 while Kohli is 8th in the list with an average of 29.65. In all conditions since that 2018 Oval Test, Rohit towers over others with an average of 57.86 while Kohli is 5th with an average of 42.60.

In this meantime, Rahane (all conditions average: 38.50, away average: 35.33) and Pujara (all conditions average: 35.34, away average: 35.75) too produced less than satisfactory results. Yes, Rahane was India's highest run-getter in the World Test Championship cycle, the only batsman to go past 1000 runs, and he also captained a wounded India admirably in Australia.

His match-winning hundred at Melbourne will be tattooed in the memory for a long time. Pujara defied the Aussies putting his body on the line and made 277 runs from 928 balls and his effort had a big role in India winning their second successive Test series Down Under.

But the statistics nosedive when we apply a more stringent filter, from the 2020-21 season that began with a two-match Test series against New Zealand away from home. Since that MCG hundred, Rahane has made 27, 22, 4, 37, 24, 1 0, 67, 10, 7, 27, 49, 15, 5, 1 and just two scores above 40 in 15 innings by a bankable batsman is certainly a matter of concern.

Since the start of 2020, Pujara made 11, 11, 24, 54, 43, 0, 17, 3, 50, 77, 25, 56, 73, 15, 21, 7, 0, 17, 8, 15, 4, 12, 9 and his best effort was the twin fifty (50 and 77 at Sydney) against Australia as India drew the third Test.

From that tour of New Zealand, Kohli has made 2, 19, 3, 14, 74, 4, 11, 72, 0, 62, 27, 0, 44, 13, 0, 42. The Indian skipper has three gritty fifties spanning across Adelaide and Chennai. He also grafted two 40-plus scores against New Zealand at Southampton and England at Lord's (first innings).

But beyond those numbers, the struggle to avoid repetition of mistakes by them has been frustrating. Kohli seemed to have invoked an old ghost as he often perished outside the off-stump. James Anderson (Nottingham) and Ollie Robinson (Lord's) snared him bowling the fourth stump line. We have familiarised with a Kohli who dominates the bowling attacks and a gluttonous batsman who converts 40s and 50s into something bigger.

However, Kohli has not been able to score hundred since his double-hundred against Bangladesh in late 2019. Pujara seemed to have been locked himself in a battle with shadows. In the home series against England earlier this year, he got stuck in the crease against left-arm spinner Jack Leach more than once, and once he landed in England his woes have been multiplied and there is no pattern too for him dismissals.

Pujara has just not been able to master the conditions in England. Trent Boult trapped him LBW with an in-dipper and Kylie Jamieson made him edge an away going delivery during the WTC Final at the Ageas Bowl. Anderson has jettisoned him twice already in three innings so far with that hint of away movement.

Post the WTC Final, the team management might have had a sit-down with them and asked Pujara to ensure a better strike-rate. A 13-ball 12 at Trent Bridge before rain arrived on the fourth day might have been a direct result.

Then we have Rahane. Rahane likes to gradually tighten his grip on the opposition unlike someone like Kohli who stamps his authority straightaway. But of late, Rahane seemed to be in a hurry to score runs, somehow. That eagerness led to his death in the first innings at Lord's.

Anderson delivered from wide of the crease, and Rahane did not bother to read him well and pushed at the ball anticipating an incoming ball. But the ball took an outward direction, and the edge transformed into an easy catch to Joe Root at slips.

KL Rahul, who made a fifty and hundred in 3 innings so far, offered some tips. "Pujara and Ajinkya are fabulous players and have done the job for India many times when we were in trouble. They are world-class and I'm sure they are hungry to go out and score some runs. They are experienced players so they know how to come out of a couple of innings they haven't scored runs," said Rahul.

"You have also to realise they are playing in tough conditions. In English conditions batting is always going to be challenging, you are going to get good balls. You can't go out there and score runs in every innings, but if you get a start then you make it count," he said.

The triumvirate might not be in any imminent danger of losing their place but it's time too they make their outings count. The fate of this series could well be on that.

Story first published: Saturday, August 14, 2021, 14:04 [IST]
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