India held on for a hard-fought draw in Manchester, ensuring their survival in the five-Test series against England. In order to salvage the Test, the tourists doubled down in the second innings, taking just four wickets in 143 overs.
Ahead of the final Test match at The Oval, England leads the series 2-1. Though they still have a long way to go if they want to eliminate the home team’s advantage, Gautam Gambhir and company would be rather satisfied with the way they made sure they wouldn’t lose the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
On that topic, here are two Indian players who underperformed and one who shone in the fourth Test against England.
1. Flop – Anshul Kamboj
Anshul Kamboj, who was recently called up to the squad as a last minute replacement, had a woeful begin on his debut Test match at Old Trafford. The wicket-keeper often stood upto the stumps in latter half of 18-overs of the youthful fast bowler who could hardly get to the bracket of 130-kph mark.
Kamboj gave too many sloppy deliveries and his lines weren’t as precise. While he was in action, India was unable to exert any pressure on the England openers, and even in his later stints, he was unable to influence the Test.
2. Star – Ravindra Jadeja
In Test cricket, India’s MVP put on another outstanding effort. The visitors saved the Test from a losing position because to the outstanding performance of Ravindra Jadeja at bat and with the ball.
Jadeja took four wickets and sent down over 37 overs while hammering away with the ball from one end. He made sure England didn’t win the match by removing purchase from the surface when the conditions were very flat.
After getting dropped off the first ball in the second innings, Jadeja persevered for 185 balls and scored an incredible century. The southpaw gave India a series lifeline by attacking at the right times and playing confident defense.
3. Flop – Jasprit Bumrah
The ace spearhead wasn’t playing at his best in Manchester, but Jasprit Bumrah is rarely on the wrong end of these lists. Aside from his outstanding performance in the first innings of the first Test, his figures over his first two spells of an innings don’t make for pleasant reading. He frequently misplaced his lines with the new ball.
Bumrah was moving more slowly as well, barely exceeding 140 kph. His performance with the second new ball was significantly diminished due to a twisted ankle he sustained while utilizing the stairs at Old Trafford.
Bumrah took two wickets at an economy rate of just 3.39 in spite of everything. That proves how talented he is, but there’s no denying that India’s top player had a bad game.
