Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy: India falters after bright start as Stokes’ gamble worked

Manchester: After Indian skipper Shubman Gill lost a fourth toss in succession in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, his England counterpart Ben Stokes did the unthinkable at Old Trafford. It was an overcast and chilly morning, and sensing something special from his bowlers in ideal conditions, Stokes gambled on bowling first despite history against such a decision as no team that won the toss and elected to do so had won in 84 previous Tests.

After the first session on a slow wicket, it looked like the punt on asking India to take first strike may backfire as Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul went about their business with barely any discomfort. But a spirited performance from the English bowlers in the remaining two sessions and callous errors from the Indian batters for the umpteenth time saw Stokes’ brave call come good as the visitors took stumps at 264/4 in 83 overs on the opening day of the fourth Test.

On the eve of the fourth Test, which India need to win or draw to keep the series alive, Gill admitted lapses in concentration that have seen them fritter away advantages constantly since the tour of Australia from late last year has been a matter of concern. He said the team is aware of it and hoped the batters would cut down the errors, show some application, and carry on to make big runs. Sadly, the batters didn’t display the requisite patience, composure and hunger as Jaiswal (58, 107b), Rahul (46, 98b) and Sai Sudharsan (61, 151b) all frittered away good starts on a slow but good batting pitch that has left the onus on the lower middle order and tail to bail India out.

First, it was Rahul who fell 18 minutes into the second session. Up until his back-foot punt that resulted in the ball taking an edge into the hands of Zak Crawley at slips off Chris Woakes, the right-hander looked concentration personified along with his opening partner Jaiswal. The conditions were testing and England pacers bowled challenging lines and lengths, but Rahul and Jaiswal were game for it.

They watched the ball extremely closely and left them nicely, an essential requirement to do well in England. Their defence was solid and whenever there was a ball to be hit, they smashed them for boundaries. And their running between the wickets too was top-notch, both batters playing with soft hands, dabbing the balls and speeding off for quick singles. The way they were batting, they looked perfectly on course to punish Stokes for his bold call until Rahul’s dismissal opened the door for England and they just gatecrashed it.

Next, Jaiswal perished after a gritty half-century midway through the second session. Left-arm spinner Liam Dawson, playing his first Test in eight years after having given up on such a dream, tossed one and Jaiswal forward defended it, edging the ball to Harry Brook at slip. The 35-year-old Dawson couldn’t contain his excitement while Jaiswal, a very good player of spin, couldn’t believe what had just occurred.

Finally, it was the turn of Sudharsan, playing just his second Test to commit harakiri. The 23-year-old, who had a stellar IPL 2025 and is touted as one for the future, seemed determined to make a statement following a tepid debut in Leeds. Coming in place of Karun Nair, Sudharsan nicely blended solid defence and moments of aggression to show why he has been rated so highly on the domestic circuit despite limited first-class appearances. Drives that were lazily elegant and pulls that were packed with power, Sudharsan hardly put a foot wrong.

But the problem with youngsters is you never know when a rush of blood kicks in and adrenaline kicked into the southpaw late in the day. He tried to hook Stokes (2/47) and was caught in the deep, the pacer celebrating and the batter walking back dejected at throwing away the opportunity to score a maiden ton.