We hate swings and turning tracks but we are the best.

The good from The good, The bad and The ugly

Against all odds, they survived and he conquered

The search for wicketkeeper-batsmen in tests is ceased due to the arrival of Rishabh Pant on the scene. The 20-year-old Delhi boy is fearless with the bat and is cautious and aware behind the stumps. Though the responsibility of 70 runs given as byes in the penultimate match will be shared by the turning track at The Rose Bowl, Southampton. Pant rose to the occasion in his first and last innings of this test series where he stood tall against the pace attack and decimated the spin in his last. These two innings were not something unusual or extraordinary talent. Instead, these were the signs of the natural and attacking batsmen Rishabh Pant. Put him at any position, ask him to play his natural game and enjoy the show. Dear Pant, don’t listen to anyone else, whether it’s a T20, ODI or Test, play the way you have learned to play. First Adam Gilchrist, then MS Dhoni and now Rishabh Pant. Remember the name, ladies and gentlemen.

Only if he played all the innings of this test series with the confidence and the belief he displayed in the last match at Kennington Oval, KL Rahul would be the name to echo in the halls and galleries of the historic English stadiums. A little tweak made in the placement of front foot and a major change in the belief made KL a force to be reckoned with. 7 years later another Rahul set foot on the English soil with the determination and a mission to conquer the English pacers. Instead of saying he was clearly taken by the bowlers which he was rather he was caught and undone by his own mind. Gratefully he has conquered his own demons before the tour had officially ended. Watch out for him on the coming tours.

The final and the most consistent aspect of the Indian Team was the bowling department. Their valiant efforts gave India the hope of winning in the entire series. Only to be let down by the batsmen and fielders, Indian bowlers contributed enough in the batting as well. M. Shami was unlucky but his will to hit the deck hard and get the ball across the right length was impressive. Whenever the skipper gave him the ball he responded in style. His stats might show a different story but Shami made his mark. Ishant Sharma proved that he is the leader of the pack by leading from the front and making English top order his favorite targets. He was consistent with his line and length and was unplayable at times. Bumrah, Pandya, and Ashwin played their parts and helped the team by controlling the runs and providing the breakthroughs throughout the various sessions in the entire series. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, you were terribly missed.