Ind vs NZ: The joys and sorrows of the high-risk game in a single frame

Gautam Gambhir, seen here with Rohit Sharma, has spoken of developing a team that can score 400 in a day and also bat for two days to salvage a draw.
| Photo Credit: Murali Kumar K.

To his credit, skipper Rohit Sharma said he had made a mistake batting first on the Bengaluru pitch, but it might not have been a mistake after all. With better technique — which incorporated the defensive shot as an equal partner in batting — India might have survived till lunch on the first day of the action. And then, as New Zealand showed when they batted, it would have been a different game altogether.

The modern batter’s refusal to pack defence in his armoury might make for exciting viewing, but as coach Gautam Gambhir pointed out when he took over, “There will be days when we’ll get bundled out for 100.” The high-risk style is set to continue, and whenever the Bengaluru situation arises again, there will be wistful talk of Cheteshwar Pujara, and even Sunil Gavaskar.

There is an argument for slapdash batting when conditions greatly favour the bowler and chances of getting the death ball are high. It was a strategy used sometimes against the West Indies fast bowlers of the past when the idea was to tote up as many runs as possible before the expected rout. The element of physical danger was ever present, adding to the sense of desperation.

Bad planning

But when the plan should have been to bat for a couple of hours before the pitch eased up, hit-or-miss tactics don’t make sense. India’s 46, their lowest total at home, will remain a testament to bad planning. India might have got their team selection and batting order wrong too, but that’s being wise after the event.

Upsets disappoint fans, but are generally good for the sport. When India batted in the second innings they displayed the other side of the high-risk coin. But from 408 for three, they lost seven wickets for 54 runs, and that ultimately made the difference. Whether that had something to do with a change of ball after Rishabh Pant hit Tim Southee out of the ground is difficult to say, but New Zealand — always a popular team — were deserving winners.

Across the border, Pakistan finally won a Test after more than three years, playing a second successive Test on the same surface in Multan. It was a high-risk gamble as was picking seven spinners. Although there’s nothing specifically in the manual against the practice — and the England coach thought it was fine too — it was stretching the home advantage a tad. That countries do it in different ways, with seaming tracks in England, ones with bounce and pace in Australia, is now easily accepted.

It helped that Pakistan won the toss, leaving England to chase nearly 300 in the fourth innings on what was in effect a ninth-day wicket. The hosts used the three-day break in between Tests to dry the wicket further using giant fans, a tactic they are using now ahead of the decider in Rawalpindi on Thursday in a bid to help the pitch deteriorate faster.

The sweep, traditional or reverse, is no substitute for old-fashioned defence and innings-building as England discovered. The Bazball style can create its own pressure with batters having to live up to its tenets.

The home team can decide on the kind of pitches they want to suit their strengths. No one can cavil at that. But what it might lead to if carried too far is the visiting team being given the option of choosing whether they want to bat or field first. In other words, the toss might go out of the game. Protests then are likely to come not so much from the players as from television channels who like the drama and on-field interviews with the captains before the start of the game.

Had New Zealand batted first in Bengaluru (skipper Tom Latham said that’s what he would have done), or England in Multan, the results might well have been different. Still, when favourites are defeated by the underdogs, it provides one of the thrills of sport.

Gambhir has spoken of developing a team that can score 400 in a day and also bat for two days to salvage a draw. The opportunity for the latter will come soon enough. Meanwhile, Bengaluru showed both how the high-risk game works and doesn’t.