When India arrived in England, they would have expected Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara to have done the bulk of the scoring during the course of the five Tests. But, that has been far from the case. In fact, Kohli and Pujara have been the two who have struggled the most on the tour. There is no doubt that Pujara and Kohli are two of the most promising young batsmen in the team, and they have proved themselves in tough conditions in South Africa and New Zealand as well. But, in England, they have been found out, and their lack of runs has been majorly responsible for India’s struggles in the series.
What England have done very well in the series is to play on Pujara and Kohli’s patience. Both have been kept in check by England’s bowlers, and while Pujara is known to be extremely dogged, he has somehow tried to be extra aggressive in the series, and that has cost him his wicket on more than one occasion. Pujara has a certain style of play, wherein in hangs in there for as long as possible, but doesn’t shy away hitting the bad ball for the boundary. In this series, he has failed to convert starts, which he generally does, and on occasions, when he has tried to be aggressive, he has failed.
England’s bowlers deserve a lot of credit for not making things easy for Pujara. On a number of occasions earlier in the series he had looked comfortable out in the middle. But, the bowlers ensured that there were no easy runs for India’s number three. Also, Pujara was unlucky that he got some extremely good deliveries to be dismissed. The constant failures definitely have had a negative impact on Pujara. In his last few visits to the crease, he has just not looked comfortable out in the middle. His dismissal in the first innings at Manchester, where he edged a ball behind by playing a nothing shot was a clear indication of his lack of confidence.
The case has been pretty similar with Kohli. The one occasion earlier in the series when he was dismissed shouldering arms has clearly made him doubt where his off stump is. Ever since, he has just not been able to make proper judgment as far as the ball outside off stump is concerned. The English have preyed on this weakness of his, constantly keeping the ball in the corridor of uncertainty. Kohli has not been able to come out of the rut, sometimes even after getting his eye in. In the first innings at Manchester, the uncertainty in his play led to his dismissal.
The first innings at Old Trafford may have been the last occasion for Pujara and Kohli to have made a significant impression in the series. They may still come good in the remaining innings, but it may be a case of too little too late as the series would be all but decided by then.
--By A Cricket Analyst
