Deep Dasgupta has joined a host of pundits heaping praise over Team India’s dominating showing against England on Wednesday. The former wicket-keeper stated it was the best first-day performance he has seen from an Indian team away from home of late and hailed the bowlers for showing the way.
India bowled England out for a paltry 183 in the first innings at Trent Bridge. Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami showed massive improvement from the World Test Championship (WTC) final and accounted for seven wickets between them. They were well-supported by the fresh vigor of Shardul Thakur (2-41) and Mohammed Siraj (1-48).
Deep Dasgupta: Indian Teams Generally Start Slowly In Every New Series
Deep Dasgupta was impressed by the meticulous planning that went behind each dismissal, from bowlers’ lines and lengths to the field settings.
Speaking in this regard on his YouTube channel, he said: “Generally we’ve seen Indian teams start slowly in every new series. But here, they are in the driving seat from the first day itself. I haven’t seen a better first day away from home in a while… It was quite evident the team had plans for every batsman. “
“Whether it was Dom Sibley or Zak Crawley who play more from the stumps, there was a plan to attack on the stumps right from the beginning. And to encourage the bowlers to bowl at that line, four fielders were on the leg-side, which is against the norm of six on the off-side and three on the leg-side. “
Citing the example of England captain Joe Root’s lbw by Shardul Thakur with a full-length out-swinger, Deep Dasgupta also lauded the persistence of the pacers.
He added: “Joe Root plays well on the backfoot, square of the wicket. He had a few boundaries right at the start but the bowlers didn’t move away from their plan of full balls outside off-stump, encouraging him to drive. As for execution, the WTC final was a blip where they were criticized for bowling a bit too short. But they were absolutely spot-on on this first day.”
Jasprit Bumrah finished as the standout bowler for India with 4 wickets for 46 runs while Mohammed Shami bagged 3 for 28 and Shardul Thakur finished with 2 for 41 in just 13 overs. England captain Joe Root was the only batsman who could deal with the pace and swing of the Indian speedsters.
Joe Root scored his 50th fifty in the format and ended up with 64 runs off 108 balls while Jonny Bairstow (29), Zak Crawley (27), and Sam Curran (27 not out) managed to reach the twenties but the rest failed miserably against the Indian pace trio.
Deep Dasgupta: It’s Imperative Overnight Openers KL Rahul And Rohit Sharma Start Well On The 2nd Day
India made the already good day even better when the new opening pair Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul saw off 13 overs and remained unbeaten at nine runs each after the day’s play. Deep Dasgupta said the two right-handers have plundered an advantage that will have to be solidified on Day 2.
Dasgupta explained: “Those last 10-15 overs with floodlights on can be very difficult for batters, especially in these bowling-friendly conditions. But the way KL Rahul and Rohit batted, the stubbornness they showed will set the tone for the rest of the team. Having said that, it’s just the first day and although India are at an advantage they will have to solidify this position further on Day 2.”
“It’s imperative they start well because there is a forecast for rain after lunch, which we know will make conditions bowler friendly. The first one hour and the first session are very, very important.”
It will be interesting to see whether the openers will play in line with Deep Dasgupta’s comments when the play resumes at 3:30 PM IST on Thursday.
At the Stumps on the 1st Day, India was 21 without losing any wickets. India’s openers Rohit Sharma (9 not out) and KL Rahul (9 not out) negotiated the burst of English pacers in the evening session. India is currently 57 for no loss in the 29th over with Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul unbeaten on 25 and 26 respectively on the 2nd Day.