Indian Pacers Were Patient And Relentless And Executed Their Plans Well In The 1st Test: VVS Laxman

Aug 8, 2021 at 3:32 PM

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Indian Pacers Were Patient And Relentless And Executed Their Plans Well In The 1st Test: VVS Laxman

VVS Laxman, the former Indian cricketer in conversation with Ian Bell, spoke about the impressive performance of Indian bowlers. The result of the first Test match between India and England will boil down to the final day with the visitors firmly in the driving seat at the moment.

Much of it is courtesy of the stellar performance of the pace quartet India have selected for this match, as they bagged all 20 wickets in a Test, only the second time in their rich history.

VVS Laxman
VVS Laxman

VVS Laxman: Indian Pacers Were Patient And Relentless And Executed Plans Well

The Johannesburg Test match between India and South Africa was the first instance of India’s pacers taking all 20 wickets in a Test. Jasprit Bumrah was the pick of the bowlers with seven wickets followed by Mohammed Shami, who took six. The other seven wickets were shared by Ishant Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar while India’s fifth pacer Hardik Pandya went wicketless.

“India bowled well. They were patient, executed their plans and were also relentless. That is something that is very critical, especially when the conditions are not suiting you and are favorable for the batsmen. We have to accept it, today they were in favor of batsmen, but the bowlers were up to the task. Even Jadeja bowled well,” said Laxman.

India's Jasprit Bumrah fields during the third day of first test cricket match between England and India, at Trent Bridge in Nottingham, England, Friday, Aug. 6, 2021. AP Photo/Rui Vieira
India’s Jasprit Bumrah fields during the third day of the first test cricket match between England and India, at Trent Bridge in Nottingham, England, Friday, Aug. 6, 2021. AP Photo/Rui Vieira

VVS Laxman was also keenly impressed by India’s newest duo in the pace attack, Mohammed Siraj and Shardul Thakur. The former’s aggression and intensity are what caught VVS Laxman’s eye, while Shardul Thakur’s consistency was lauded as well.

“Bumrah, Shami, Siraj. Shardul bowled really well. Was impressed with his body language and intensity, something that augurs for India really well. His battle with Curran not only shows his skill set but also his aggression,” added Laxman.

While Jasprit Bumrah took 9 scalps, Mohammed Shami took 4 scalps, Mohammed Siraj took 3 scalps and Shardul Thakur took 4 scalps in the 1st Test.

VVS Laxman: Fourth Bowler Shardul Thakur Was Under-Utilized

With perhaps India’s greatest weapon in the middle overs, Ravichandran Ashwin having to miss out on his spot as India opted to play an extra pacer in Shardul Thakur, VVS Laxman believes that the Palghar lad was underutilized by Virat Kohli.

Mohammed Siraj carried a heavy workload in the second innings bowling 25 overs, while Jasprit Bumrah bowled 19 overs, and Mohammed Shami bowled 15.5 overs, while Shardul Thakur and Ravindra Jadeja delivered 13 overs each.

“The only improvement we might like to see is the pacers bowling in tandem. Just felt that when Siraj and Shardul were bowling together, would have liked to see Kohli use Shardul a lot more and a lot better. He was under-bowled today and when he got an opportunity, he picked up wickets. It’s important to utilize the services of the fourth bowler,” said Laxman.

Shardul Thakur took two wickets in one over to reduce England to 155/8 in the first Test | Photo: ICC
Shardul Thakur took two wickets in one over to reduce England to 155/8 in the first Test | Photo: ICC

In the first innings, Shardul Thakur first trapped Joe Root with a full ball that came back in sharply and it was plumb in front.

Three balls later, Ollie Robinson went for an ugly hoick but straight into the hands of the mid-on fielder and England were 155/8 and Shardul Thakur had suddenly two wickets in his kitty. It’s not new for him as in the limited-overs series against England in March earlier this year, he took two wickets in one over in three consecutive matches – two T20Is and one ODI.

With five Test matches to play in short turnarounds, the Indian side might want to keep in mind the resources they have on their bench to ensure there are no injuries due to a work overload. India is currently in a favourable position to take an early lead in the series but with the lethal attack of the likes of pacers James Anderson and Stuart Broad, the run chase will be far from straightforward.

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