History tells us India have never lost a Test match at home after sticking as many as 445 runs on the board, as they have done here. But then history told us India had never lost at home with a three-figure first innings lead, something England popped in the blender in Hyderabad before pressing the button marked frappé.
Because here is the thing: while onlookers tick the various filters on Cricinfo’s Statsguru looking for precedent as a guide, this lot, under Ben Stokes, simply do not care. Minds have been cleared of such clutter, replaced by phrases like “be where your feet are” and “live in the moment”. To a man, they have embraced the outlook of their captain and his head coach, Brendon McCullum.
It is one thing to say all this, of course, another to live it out. But few have done so over the past two years more than Ben Duckett. And on the second day in Rajkot, when the brains of predecessors might have become scrambled egg after 130.5 overs of sapping heat in the field, the opener unfurled a jaw-dropping century.
The numbers were pretty remarkable. In reply to India’s 445 all out, England had reached 207 for two by stumps in just 35 overs – a run-rate just shy of six – with Duckett striding into the air-conditioned dressing room unbeaten on 133 from 118 balls. He had raided 21 fours and two sixes, with his third Test century coming from only 88 deliveries – the fastest by an Englishman in India.
There was a suspicion Rajkot might be to England’s taste; the kind of surface that could see afterburners lit from the outset. Even still, given the situation and the attack, expectations were surpassed. And it was led by an opener who – whisper it in this part of the world – scores quicker than even Virender Sehwag in his pomp.
Their methods could scarcely be more different, Duckett, a left-hander, slotting the seamers square with short-arm jabs and meaty pulls, while sweeping the spinners – not least Kuldeep Yadav – to distraction. Every gap plugged by Rohit Sharma brought another for Duckett to target, his typically punchy pre-series remark of having 10 sweeps either side of the wicket not nearly so meme-able now.
Among this came some sweet revenge against Ravichandran Ashwin, not that this was how his old nemesis from 2016 will remember the day. The 37-year-old became only the second Indian after Anil Kumble to reach 500 Test wickets, with Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan the only one to do so quicker than his 98 matches of scientific off-spin.
It was a precious one, too, Duckett and Zak Crawley having raced to 89 in just 13 overs. Crawley had been largely happy to admire his partner’s offensive from the non-striker’s end, bat popped at his side, only to attempt to join in the fun and see a top-edged sweep plop to short fine leg. Ashwin, often irascible, beamed.
This was the first of two strikes for India, Ollie Pope trapped lbw by Mohammed Siraj on review but not before operating in the slipstream of Duckett to the tune of 39 runs in a second-wicket stand worth 93. India also used up two reviews on Duckett, a supersonic yorker from Jasprit Bumrah deemed to have been dug out by willow on 79, and a hopeful lbw shout from Ashwin in the final over of the day.
Ashwin and Duckett’s fates seemed intertwined, somehow, the former having also played an unusual part in the rapid start; not that he agreed with it. While helping grind India to their total with 37, he had become the second member of his side to be warned about running down the middle of the pitch after Ravindra Jadeja the evening before. Umpire Joel Wilson signalled five penalty runs for the tourists.
Whether deliberate sharp practice or otherwise this rare enforcement of law 41.14 (batter damaging the pitch) meant England would start their reply on five for no loss. This later became six for no loss before a legal delivery had even been bowled when Bumrah overstepped first up. Sadly, there is no Statsguru filter with which to quickly work out whether this has ever been bettered.
But so began the breakneck final instalment of a day that had been sleepy up to this point. England picked up two wickets first thing – Jimmy Anderson moving to within four wickets of 700 among them – only for India’s lower order to hunker down in a bid to wear down their opponents and get more overs into the surface.
Jadeja added just two runs to his overnight 110, chipping a ball that gripped back to a grateful Joe Root, but debutant Dhruv Jurel lined up confidently for 46 runs that, along with Ashwin’s diligence, turned 331 for seven into 408 for eight.
England frayed a touch here, India’s running between the wickets leading to a spot of finger-pointing and two catches going down off Jurel when the newcomer was on 32.
Pope was the first culprit – a genuine goober at midwicket to deny Tom Hartley his second – while Mark Wood, dutifully delivering a bumper plan to order, saw a surprise full ball skewed to Stokes at leg slip and go down. Still, after Rehan Ahmed finally winkled out both set men – Jurel undone by the latest quicksilver catch by Ben Foakes – Wood had his fourth when a lively 26 from Bumrah ended lbw.
There had been some mischief from the pitch, the odd one keeping low, and certainly enough to wet Indian lips during the turnaround. But the return of the roller and the dust brushed away by the ground staff appeared to quieten things down before Duckett setting about sweeping all comers.
