Constant 3rd innings bottle-jobs prevent India from cementing their legacy as the Test team
Cape Town 2007, Christchurch 2020, Adelaide 2020, Southampton 2021, Jo'burg 2022, Cape Town 2022 & Edgbaston 2022. What is that one thing that connects all these venues? What is that trend that connects all these occasions? Well, if one watched the recent Edgbaston Test against England, one would know that it's a reference to India's 3rd innings flare-ups. On the fourth morning of the Test, India was 4-190, with an overall lead of 322 runs. Rishabh Pant was still at the crease and at that point, one wondered what could go wrong for the tourists? An hour after a disappointing batting performance later, India was bundled out for 245 with an overall lead of 378. The approach of the Indian batters was questionable, but, in honesty, it did not come as a shock one bit. For, how can one be shocked at stuff that they regularly witness? The fact of the matter is India simply doesn't know how to set-up a game in the third innings of a Test match. The fact of the matter is these batters simply don't know that one does not always need to attack their way out of a situation. Except for Pant and Ravindra Jadeja, they don't know how to score big runs. Moreover, they haven't figured out how to counter or not fall into the trap laid by the opposition. On a day where they should have batted the opposition out of the game by playing normal cricket, they decided to go funky. Perhaps they would have watched the highlights of their own 4th innings bottle job at the same venue four years ago and thought that anything over 300 would be enough. Perhaps, they should have watched the highlights of England's recent 4th innings heists against New Zealand to get an idea of what was facing them. Since the start of 2018, the Indian team has averaged 25.84 with the bat in the 3rd innings, with their heists at Oval 2021 being an outlier to the general, depressing trend. In the post-match presser, head coach Rahul Dravid admitted that India needs to address their 3rd innings batting (and 4th innings bowling). The harsh reality is that 3rd innings batting is a pandemic in Indian cricket, which doesn't seem to have a vaccine yet. And this pandemic is not restricted to this generation of cricketers either. Think back to Cape Town 2007, where India notched up a 41-run lead after the end of 1st innings, only to get bundled out for 169 in the third to hand the Proteas a series win on the platter. Think back to Christchurch 2020, where India took a slender lead of 7 in a low-scoring fixture, only to get blown away for 124 in the 3rd innings and capitulate to a 0-2 drubbing. Or to that famous Adelaide Test where India dominated 75% of the game, only to get hammered for 36 in the third innings. Or to the WTC final, where they had to bat for just two sessions on the sixth day to force a draw. Or to the recent South African tour where Test matches were on equal footing after the end of first innings, only for the tourists to squander the game in the 3rd. Or the recent Test, where India dominated the best part of the 4-5 days, only to be run ragged by their own lack of game sense, some pretty questionable tactics by a resurgent England. Yes, it is true and undeniable that our bowling unit needs to take a huge chunk of blame for their inability to close out games on three consecutive occasions this year, but the elephant in the mousse here is our third-innings batting. India is the most successful Test team of the current era but their constant flare-ups at crucial moments prove that they are just a good team in an era of flawed sides and not THE team. Indeed, great sides don't always end up on a winning note, but it's also a fact that great sides do not squander chances of cementing their legacy at every given opportunity. Apart from the two-Test series wins in Australia, India did not manage to win a series in South Africa and New Zealand, and while they have managed to draw in England, it feels like a net loss. You can always argue that it's a massive improvement from the dark days of 2011/12, but that also depends on the ceiling of expectations you lay on the side. It's also true that this generation of cricketers only, led by former skipper Virat Kohli, has elevated our expectations as far as overseas tours are concerned. From hoping for a draw to celebrating an odd overseas Test win to this constant obsession of seeing this group of players scale every uncharted territory, it has been an incredible journey from the lows of the last decade. But, it is equally true that this Test team will always be remembered for 'what could have been?' What could have been had batters held their fort in the third innings? What could have happened had the players learnt from the same mistakes they were committing again and again? What could have been had they managed to be a bit smart about the game situation? What could have been had they managed to win at least once in South Africa or England? With no overseas tours until 2024 and the current crop of players nearing their end, the era, which Virat and Ravi Shastri built and while it is undeniable that this Test team will go down as India's greatest, a disappointment of 'what could have been' will always linger whenever we reminisce this period.
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