In the upcoming India VS England Test 4 one questioned will be in everybody’s minds – Will India’s clunky middle order continue to be its Achille’s heel?
After the humiliating loss at Leeds, the team must be looking to wipe the slate clean and start afresh. But is wiping the slate clean a good strategy for a team that’s consistently being pushed to the verge of a defeat due to its middle order?
Let’s take a deep dive into the preview of India VS England Test 4 scheduled to be played on September 2 at the Oval.
Details
Oh, what a jubilant victory India registered in the second Test of the 4 Test series after being cornered into a submission by the English hosts. The victory was all the more flavorful as it had ingredients of a fighting tail in the form of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami that helped India pose a fighting target at the scoreboard.
But the fond memory of the victorious India was turned sour due to an absolute abysmal performance by the visitors during the 3rd test of the game. Not only did the hosts bundled out India at a measly 78, they also thrashed the Indian bowlers left and right to add 432 in its first inning. India couldn’t even come close to registering a lead, and suffered a defeat of an inning and 76 runs.
Also Read: Ind VS Eng Test 3 Day 1: Mohammed Siraj Once Again Targeted by Rowdy Crowd, Kohli Lashes Out
The Curious Case of Indian Middle Order
Devot fans and cricket analysts have all agreed on one thing so far – if the Indian middle order woes are not fixed, the reputation of a formidable Test cricket team that India carries will be tarnished beyond redemption. The trio of Cheteshwar Pujara, skipper Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane have been firing blanks in the past few innings, adding pressure to either the top order or the lower order.
A Look at Rahane, Pujara & Kohli’s Performances
Ajinkya Rahane’s in his past 20 innings has scored 539 with a disastrous average of just above 26 runs. His past 5 innings have seen him bag just 95 runs at an average of 19 – a sure shot warning bell.
Moving eyes towards Cheteshwar Pujara, in 2021, the right-handed batsman has played 18 innings with an average of just above 30 runs. What’s worse is that in his 18 innings, he hasn’t been able to convert any of his high scores into century. Another key attribute one looks for in a middle order batsman.
That leaves us with skipper Kohli – a mighty talented batsman, looking to be bizarrely out of touch. His 13 innings so far in 2021 saw him bag only 353 runs at an average of just over 27.
Also Read: Ind VS Eng Test 2: India Beats England by 151 Runs Thanks To Bumrah & Shami’s Heroics
Will the Team Administration Learn its Lesson?
Despite the repeated offenders unable to shake off their bad form, the team administration has continued taking leaps of faith over them. The history may be repeated tomorrow during the 4th Test and the batting unit may not see any change.
Maybe Hanuma Vihari, Definitely Ravichandran Ashwin
But if Indian team administration has learned its lesson, it may just make a change or two in the middle order. If India drops team deputy Ajinkya Rahane, a Hanuma Vihari may be brought in. Bringing Vihari will also give another bowling option as the right-handed batsman also bowls off-break.
However, as we mentioned above, history may just repeat itself and the only change may come in the form of Ravichandran Ashwin being added into the mix.
