If the second Test match between India and England in the ongoing Investec Series was all about revenge, the third one has been no different. With this series basking in all of the limelight thanks to the ugly tiff that erupted between India’s Ravindra Jadeja and England’s James Anderson, this series is also panning out to be one of vindictiveness and last laughs.
If Jadeja drew first blood in the second Test and laughed hard holding his belly, Anderson would have smirked. In the third Test, he’s unable to contain that laughter within that smirk. Yes, Anderson has began essaying what can only be termed a revenge. He was shooting in, hurling them, making it impossible for the Indian batsmen to handle them. There could be no ducking, no hitting, no leaving it alone gracefully. They looked out of their comfort zones as Anderson’s howlers whizzed past their bodies. He was at his devastating best, making the ball smirk on his behalf. At stumps on Day 3, the Indians were 323/8, a job that has been finished by the English team, wrapping the visitors up by 330. England now lead by 243 runs.
It took just a match for England to show they aren’t meek. From a point where everything looked downhill, they’ve suddenly stepped on the accelerator, turning the tides around for themselves and for the bunch of people who made their life difficult till about a week back. From there on, to a point when Cook seems to have thought enough is enough, there’s been a clear revival of the way the England team has handled everything so far. Declaring their innings at 569/7, itself would have boosted their morale up by notches. To support that sort of performance where the captain under pressure led the team by example, Anderson stepped up and clinched a five-wicketer to show he isn’t someone to be messed around with.
This entire tiff has actually made the series a pretty individual-oriented duel. As long as it improves the standard of performance on field, we are not complaining, are we?
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