The Heist of Hyderabad
Against the odds and with a huge first-innings deficit, England squared up to India and held their nerve
A major aspect of pre-match talk ahead of the opening test of England’s tour of India was the hosts’ impeccable home record. ‘India simply don’t lose Test matches at home’ is a line that was repeated in the weeks and days leading to the opening day.
Fast forward to the end of the match and India are now without a win in their last three home Tests and England are basking in the glory of arguably their greatest-ever Test win.
After Day One in Hyderabad, England looked like they had their backs against the wall. Bowled out for 246, a total which in hindsight didn’t look terrible. That was until India came out to bat and targeted debutant Tom Hartley, finishing the day on 119–1 and looking set to take a big lead into the second innings.
The margin of the lead was one that India had never lost before, and England came out to bat 190 runs behind. When Ben Stokes departed for just six, they were still 27 runs behind and a big Indian win trudged over the horizon. Ollie Pope was well set at this point on 60, and he was joined by Surrey teammate Ben Foakes.
In a match-saving/ winning effort, their 112 partnership moved England along positively. Curran was the last man to go, but not before he reached 196 in a brutal knock after more brilliant support from Hartley and Rehan Ahmed. The all-important number for India was 230, and a gripping match was set for a scintillating ending.
You could be forgiven for thinking Ben Stokes would have second thoughts about having Hartley lead the line in the final innings. Yet all this would really have done would be to inflict more frustration on the spinner, and instead, Hartley was tasked with leading the line by his captain. Stokes showed his worth as a captain to stick by Hartley, and his captain, team, and country were rewarded.
The Lancashire spinner was the scourge of Indian batters, turning the ball with such precision that seven fell victim to him, including four of a top-five that was blown away by the Test debutant. England’s relentless efforts with the ball gave the Indian batters no time to settle and the wickets fell steadily.
A valiant effort from Ashwin and Bharat gave their side some hope, but it was Hartley who wrapped up a memorable win for England. The victory stretches the McCullum/ Stokes era to a record of 14 wins in 20 matches and just four defeats.
The doubts raised over the bowling attack and playing a debutant spinner (Hartley) and one still fresh to the Test arena (Ahmed) were merited. However, everyone in the England setup believes in each other’s ability, whether that be with bat, ball, in the field, or as a coach. This faith is rewarded more often than not, and England’s superb victory in Hyderabad has been a red-hot series that looks that bit more interesting.
England have lit up Test cricket in the last two years, and their aggressive yet composed approach to the game’s longest format is making them a tough side for anyone to play against. The series still has four games left and there will be bumps along the way, but the first taste of ‘Bazball’ on Indian soil is enough to make any cricket fan sit up and pay attention.
