Has the failure of Indian batsmen camouflaged the failure of the bowlers to wrap up the Tail?

It is beyond reasonable doubt that most of the Indian batsmen, with the exception of Kohli, have all failed to impress in the current Test series against England. After their horrible performances in the ongoing five-Test series, there has been no place to hide for the batsmen.

Having witnessed the Indian batsmen thriving on home conditions, it was a big jolt for the Indian fans to absorb the continuous failure of their batsmen. This was never expected to happen.

On the other hand, the general impression about the Indian bowlers is that they have done a commendable job throughout the entire series only to be let down by the batsmen.

But, the failure of the Indian batsmen has been so glaring that it has masked the failure of the Indian bowlers to wrap up the tail.

Indian bowlers failed to wrap up the England tail quickly

The Indian bowlers have been quite successful in dismissing the English top order only to be confronted by a resolute tail.

1. Statistical highlights of the success of the England tail

Woakes took the match away from India in the second Test

1. In the second innings of the first Test, England was reduced to 87 for 7 with all the specialist batsmen back in the pavilion. However, the Indian bowlers failed to finish off the tail and the last 3 England wickets added 93 runs. In the end, India finished up losing the match by just 31 runs.

2. In the second Test at Lord’s, in the only innings that England batted, the hosts were in a spot of bother at 131 for 5 before Bairstow and Chris Woakes added 189 runs for the 6th wicket. Finally, from 131 for 5 England declared at 396 for 7. Chris Woakes, the bowling all-rounder, scored his maiden Test century.

3. In the first innings of the fourth Test, England were 86 for 6. The last 4 wickets added 160 runs to reach a competitive score of 246.

4. In the second innings of the fourth Test, England were 122 for 5. The last 5 wickets added 149 runs to set up a target of 245 runs for India to win. India lost that match by 60 runs.

5. In the ongoing fifth Test match at the Oval, at one stage, England were precariously placed at 181 for 7. Jos Buttler got reprieved twice by the technology even though the on-field call was out.

Buttler, with the help of the tailenders, added 151 runs for the last 3 wickets.

2. Contributors to England’s lower-order revival

Buttler and Sam Curran - The difference in the series

The main contributors to England’s late revival were Jos Buttler and Sam Curran. Not to forget the resistance of the bowlers, Adil Rashid, Stuart Broad, and Anderson. Buttler has so far scored 349 runs in the series. Sam Curran’s contribution has been a massive 251 runs.

To put in right perspective the performance of Curran, he has scored more runs than the England top order batsmen Cook(180), Jennings(153), Joe Root(294) and Bairstow (197).

Buttler is the leading run scorer in the series for England and only King Kohli is above him in the combined performance of both the teams.

The contributions from Buttler and Curran has been the difference to the overall result of the series.

3. Reasons for the failure of Indian bowlers

Ashwin's poor form has added to India's woes

1. The Indian bowlers and the captain has failed to attack the main batsmen who were at the wicket with the tailenders. In an effort to get only the tailenders out, the better batsman was spared. This has led the game to drift away from India.

2. The tailenders are expected to be more vulnerable to the spinners. But, Ashwin’s poor form in the series didn’t help India’s cause.

3. Bumrah’s failure to bowl yorkers with the red ball also contributed to India’s failure.

4. Consequences of the contribution from the tail

Curran has been contributing handsomely in the series

1. When the England tail wagged, it allowed the momentum to shift in favour of England.

2. After their fruitful time in the middle as batsmen, the England bowlers were nicely warmed up and brimming up with confidence to execute their main task.

3. The Indian batsmen, especially the openers, were made to go through long periods of anxiety before the England tail was finally polished off. This has affected their performance while batting.

4. By staying at the wicket, runs keep flowing not necessarily from the bat, but in the form of byes too. The bowlers, in their frustration, would try to bounce the tailenders out and in that process tend to spray the ball all over the place.

5. The comparative contribution of the Indian tail

Ashwin hasn't contributed with the bat in the series

Leave alone the tail, even the Indian lower-order batsmen have failed to contribute in any manner. Batsmen like Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, and Ashwin were all restless at the crease. They were all going for their shots and were itching to come back to the pavilion. Compared to their efforts, Ishant Sharma and Bumrah showed some resistance.

Even when Kohli and Pujara batted through the innings in the first and fourth Tests respectively, the lower-order batsmen failed to give them the needed support to forge any meaningful partnerships. The Indians were missing the services of Bhuvneshwar Kumar in this respect.

On the fourth day of the fourth Test, the last wicket stand of Rashid and Anderson managed to survive 6 taxing overs during the extended playing hours to take the game into the fifth day.

That was the kind of spirit that was missing in the Indian lower-order batsmen. The Indians were more than willing to surrender their wickets at the first available opportunity.

6.The mindset of the tailenders while batting first

Curran has been impressive lower down the order

The tailenders are expected to stick around more in the first innings and third innings of a Test match. That is when the pressure is less and whatever runs scored by them is a bonus at that stage.

The mindset is different in the fourth innings when the target is beyond reach. That is when they throw in the towel too quickly to bring a swift end to the proceedings.

When tailenders are batting with a specialist batsman at the other end, they strive hard to survive. If a number 9 and 10 are batting together, they will race to see who gets out first.

7.Conclusion

It is true that the Indian batsmen failed miserably in the current England series. The bowlers were also equally guilty in failing to mop up the England tail. A job half finished is as good as not finished.

The disappointing performance of the Indian batsmen has camouflaged the failure of the Indian bowlers in wrapping up the England tail.