Indian report cards (out of 10) after Headingley Test defeat to England – who tipped the scales with a 10 and who flopped with a 3?
Any Test that achieves a result in the final session of the fifth day is a good game, and the opening Test of the current series between England and India was exactly that.
India came close, and it might have been a different result if they had been a bit sharper in the field – they spilt several catches over the two innings.
In the end it was England who triumphed in a game that saw seven centuries scored across four innings and a total of 1673 runs scored – the highest number of aggregate runs ever in a Test cricket match between these two sides.
With the game still fresh in our minds, let’s take a moment to compile a report card for the Indian team.
1. Yashasvi Jaiswal – 6 out of 10
Another good game for the young opener who is on track to become one of the fastest ever batters to reach the 2000 Test run mark. He scores quickly and looks set for a long stay at the top of the Indian order.
Fielding is his weak point however – he must stop dropping catches.
2. KL Rahul – 9 out of 10
An outstanding player who finished the Test with 179 runs.
His career Test average is only 33.57, but his performance at Headingley is closer to what fans will expect from him.
3. Sai Sudharsan – 4 out of 10
Seemingly undismissable in IPL cricket, Sudharsan found it tougher in Test cricket as he made his debut in the longest format. He was clearly nervous in the first innings when he was dismissed for a duck, but he ground it out in the second dig to post a modest 30 from 48 balls.
The number three position is vital, and he’ll need to do more if he wants to make it his own.
4. Shubman Gill – 7 out of 10
A century on his captaincy debut was a good return, but he looked a bit short of ideas in the final innings as Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett took the game away from the visitors.
That said a captain can only lay plans, his fielders must hold the catches that come their way – Gill was badly let down in this regard.
5. Rishabh Pant – 10 out of 10
He came in for some stick in the series in Australia when he was accused of throwing his wicket away with irresponsible shots. But it’s hard to argue against a performance that brought a century in each innings.
He may have let through a few too many byes, but in fairness, the balls that got away from him were pretty unstoppable.
6. Karun Nair – 4 out of 10
More than eight years since his last Test for India, Karun Nair was back.
He would have wanted to show the world what they had been missing but it wasn’t to be as he fell for a duck in the first innings before contributing a patient 20 in the second.
7. Ravindra Jadeja – 5 out of 10
He is in the team as an allrounder, but he didn’t do enough with either bat or ball. He bowled 47 overs for a solitary wicket and scored a total of 36 runs.
Like a DJ with a mixed tape, he needs to bring a little more to the party.
8. Shardul Thakur – 3 out of 10
A bit of a passenger for most of the game he left it too late to find his groove.
He managed five runs in total and until he grabbed two wickets in two balls wasn’t overly convincing with the ball either. His position will be under threat for the second Test.
9. Jasprit Bumrah – 8 out of 10
He’s not ranked as the world’s number one Test bowler for nothing. He produced a superb 5/83 in England‘s first innings but couldn’t find a way through in time to make an impact in England’s second innings.
A dropped catch off his own bowling was a blemish he would not have wanted.
10. Mohammed Siraj – 6 out of 10
He battled manfully with plenty of aggression and a lot of bad luck – he had more than his fair share of catches dropped off his bowling.
With just two wickets to his credit, you have to wonder if he will be there when the action moves to Birmingham or if he will be replaced with the left-arm fare of Arshdeep Singh.
11. Prasidh Krishna – 5 out of 10
Useful but not as effective as he would have wanted to be. Prasidh bagged three wickets in the first innings, before struggling in the final innings – until the rain break that is, after which he made the breakthrough that gave India a glimmer of hope with the wickets of Crawley and Pope.
But it was too little too late. His economy rate in both innings was over six which is simply not good enough.
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