Former India batsman VVS Laxman reckons that the 4-1 scoreline in favor of England in the recently concluded five-match Test series is not an accurate testimony of the abilities of Virat Kohli and his men, but has cautioned against repeating mistakes as the No 1 ranked tag threatens to come undone.
India lost four of five Test matches to make it consecutive overseas series defeats after the 1-2 result in South Africa in earlier this year, and Laxman was hopeful that Team India will introspect well which would prove beneficial to Kohli and his team.
In his Times of India column, Laxman wrote, “The Indian think-tank will, I am sure, introspect and look inwards in the aftermath of the series defeat. The one thing they will recognize is that they kept repeating mistakes – allowing the tail to wag after making serious inroads into the top order, and not getting off to starts which is not the hallmark of the number one Test team of the world.”
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He further added, “The 4-1 scoreline in England’s favor might not necessarily be a true reflection of the quality of the two sides, but it reiterated the fact that in Test cricket, you can’t take your eyes off the ball for even an hour. India had their opportunities, but except in Trent Bridge, they didn’t take them.”
In the final Test at Kia Oval, India was set a target of 464. From 2/3 and then 120/4, they were given a rousing fightback by centurions KL Rahul (149) and Rishabh Pant (114) who put on 204 for the sixth wicket. Rahul’s 149 was his first century since December 2016 and came after an awful run of scores in four Tests in England, while Pant’s maiden century, at the age of 20, made him the second-youngest Test centurion for India.
Laxman felt that India had a lot to learn from these two centurions as they look ahead to four Tests in Australia in December-January.
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The veteran batsman explained, “I was delighted with the attitude of KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant in a daunting run-chase at The Oval. Both men needed the hundreds; Rahul had had a disappointing tour till that point, while Pant faded away a little since his promising Trent Bridge debut. Their conviction and positivity is something India should take heart from. India could have looked for a draw in the immediacy of Rahul’s dismissal, but they kept going for the target till Pant was around like they had done in Adelaide in 2014 in Virat’s first Test as captain. That is the character of this team — to strive for a result, no matter what. Their shot at redemption will come later in the year in Australia.”
