How to beat India in a Test match at home 101

From its emergence after the disastrous 2021/22 Ashes series which England lost 4-0, Bazball has taken the world by storm. One by one, Ben Stokes' men have taken down some of the best teams in the world. Having conquered the likes of Pakistan, New Zealand, and South Africa, it is safe to say that Bazball is the way to go for England. But it has yet to face the kryptonite of most nations in the last decade. Winning a Test against India, in India. 'If England play Bazball, the game might be over in two days for them.' Said Mohammad Siraj before the start of the ongoing England-India Test series. The line was not from Siraj alone, but from all the critics of Bazball who were eager to see this new approach face its toughest challenge to date. 

So, from the spectator's perspective, what are some ways to breach the Indian fortress?           

Firstly, stack that bowling line-up with as many spinners as you possibly can. It is common knowledge that the pitches in India are likely to be much more spin-friendly than what England find back home. If not rank turners, to begin with, the skills of the Indian spinners like Ashwin, Jadeja, and Kuldeep will make sure that the spin challenge is not any less potent. Apart from the odd pacer for the occasional change-up, the key to Indian conditions is to pick good spinners. If you're lacking quality, turn to quantity and stack up the lineup with hopes that someone has a field day.

The last time England came here in 2021, the only Test they won was largely based on a huge run innings total and great use of the conditions by the English spinners. Of the 40 wickets that fell in that game, 24 of them were taken by spinners which might tell the English enough about what to expect. Perhaps the English can draw inspiration from the Aussies. 

Even though they were thrashed 3-1 in their visit to India in early 2023, the only game Australia won was largely because of the mastery of their veteran spinner Nathan Lyon. His 11-wicket haul, along with wickets from Todd Murphy and Matthew Kuhnemann broke the Indian batting through its core, bundling them out for 109 and 163. Going by the minuscule sample piece of 3 Test losses at home in the last few years, the spinners must grab the game by the scruff of its neck to take England anywhere close to victory. 

What makes India so difficult to beat at home is the ruthlessness in which they bat the opposition out of the game. Just like the game in Rajkot recently, the mammoth 556 target was never going to be chased by anyone and India had effectively knocked England out even before the fourth innings began. One can either prevent them from scoring or choose the harder path which is to match the runs. In England's last three wins in India, the top scorers had scores of 186 (Kevin Pietersen), 218 (Joe Root), and 196 (Ollie Pope). 

In the mentioned cases, not only did the batter score a hundred but made sure to convert it into a huge one. In Rajkot, had Ben Duckett stayed longer and gone on to turn the 153 into a double ton, it could've been that the target would not have been so humongous. In simple words, a batter who gets set must try to bat as long as he can, scoring as many as he can. 

Another noticeable pattern in the recent Tests has been how fidgety and tentative India have been while chasing. Their lack of intent has often been visible with the batters not attempting to take risks, which eventually resulted in them getting out without scoring too many. In Late 2022, India was on the brink of failing to chase a meagre score of 145 at Mirpur with conditions similar to that back home. In England's win in 2021, India collapsed chasing a target of 419, which was obviously much higher, but the manner of the collapse was not too different. 

Overall, the patterns visible are easy to see even for the laymen. But as the old saying goes 'devil lies in the detail' and it is to be seen if Stokes and his men can figure out similar ways to take India down in what will be their biggest challenge so far.