If a great sporting leader like Pep is making everyone so wary, then why should an English cricket team, which has decent talent but is struggling to get to the next level, be as comfortable as they seem? Is it correct to say “should”? During this tour, the entire lineup knew they were going to play in the next game every week.
That’s about to change because after this tour, Harry Brook will be back. He should bat at number five as he should be the basis of the batting with Joe Root. Does that mean England’s moment of statement is near?
Consistency of selection is a very fine balance in team sports. It’s the right thing to do to make people comfortable and England have generally batted well over the last two years. But there’s also the point that you can’t keep sending the same players every week if hitting is being sacrificed in the biggest series.
I’m sure there will be results
Jonny Bairstow is playing his 100th Test in Dharamsala and I’m happy about that. This is a great victory for resilience and emotionally I believe that once you reach 99 caps, you deserve a 100 cap moment. However, it is inevitable that he may miss the 101st. He has not played well in the 10 Tests he has played since returning to the team, especially in India.
I also have my eye on “keeper” Ben Foakes. Although he has achieved great results in India, he has not been able to fit into the team under this system, and I feel that his batting is not yet suited to India. The last test was a good example. He’s great at linking up with hitters, but struggles to kick off his tail. Then again, no matter how good his batting is, it may not be enough. England could move the gloves back to No. 7 Bairstow, whose batting is more dangerous, or they could look elsewhere. They have a strong group of young keeper-batsmen in (another) Ollie Robinson, Jamie Smith and James Lew.