Potentially, a once-in-a-generation Test series starts today. India have never faced a challenge of the kind they’re about to encounter, ever, at home. No one has attacked their spinners, hit them off their lengths. It is not something they’re used to. That kind of offence, and positivity, comes with its own momentum, and luck. It cannot be planned for, or against.
Glenn Philips showed it best just last month in Bangladesh batting at No. 7 in both innings. On a vicious turner, in a series-levelling match for New Zealand, where neither team could cross 180 in any of the four innings, Philips produced 87 off 72 in the first innings (with 9 fours and 4 sixes) and an unbeaten 40 off 48 in the second innings in a fourth innings chase on a wearing pitch (with NZ 69 for 6, chasing 137). The stage is set for six Glenn Philipses going on the rampage here, keeping their individualities and personal judgments in play – which means choosing their own moment to go on the rampage (with bats getting consistently better and boundaries getting gradually smaller), not swinging wildly, as even several former players seem to think Bazball is.
Harry Brook’s absence is a big loss for England, but then again, in the bizarrely perverse way this English team likes to challenge itself – perhaps it is just the shot in the arm they needed. They now have the opportunity to demonstrate, more than ever before, that Bazball is not about individuals but about the power of collective will. It will probably fire them up even more, which is precisely what Bazball thrives on. Brook’s absence should get Ben Foakes into the side, making them undoubtedly stronger on the field. Bairstow as a specialist batsman can certainly match Brook with the bat, and Foakes match Bairstow with the bat when the latter is a wicketkeeper-batsman. It’s not a bad deal.
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Virat Kohli’s absence is an even better deal for India. Kohli looked in good touch in South Africa but he consumes so much of the team’s oxygen that most of his team-members simply do not play to their potential around him. Till the time this version of Kohli (and no other version is sadly going to come back) plays international cricket, India will not win anything worthwhile in any format (Australia 2020/21 was not a coincidence, nor was the World Cup final of 2023; let’s not even get into the RCB story). India’s chances in this series have actually got better with Kohli’s absence, but of course, it’s only for the first two Tests.
Given that this is a 5-Test series, Kohli’s absence is not such a big deal. Simply because India would be expected to clinch the first Test since England will take some time to get used to the conditions. Being 0-2 down also is not particularly unlikely for England here, but it will not be surprising if the series starts getting seriously competitive from there. However, if it is competitive from the first Test itself, it will augur badly for India in the series.
Which is also why the incident of Pakistan-born English spinner Shoaib Bashir missing the first Test because of visa issues might be a good thing for England, as getting a mystery spinner into the mix before the series has turned fully competitive may not have been their best move strategically. This is actually a bad start for India, not England, because the absolutely disgraceful handling of this issue by Indian authorities rightfully brings a lot of shame to the hosts. Whether instant karma is a thing or not, negative energies having a say can be.
Indian cricket is not a merit-based project anymore, not under this current mindset. Just the craziness of getting Rohit and particularly Virat back for the T20I sides should make that amply clear. The team does not matter more than certain prized individuals. This series has the potential of exposing that mindset very badly.
In these all-round disillusioning times, this England Test team is one of the last few entities that embodies a purity of purpose. For the sake of that, for the joy that can bring to competition, and for the sake of this sport’s future, here’s hoping for a series that can live up to this billing.
