Posted by After rather improbably sweeping and spinning a win in Hyderabad, England head to Visakhapatnam hoping to do something similar in the second Test. But can we expect similar conditions?
All of the world’s great grounds have big, bold, powerful names that hit you hard and fast: Lord’s, Newlands, Eden Gardens, the MCG.
Commentators will no doubt mostly refer to this week’s ground as Vizag. This is a damn shame because we’d far rather hear them call it the Dr Y S Rajashekar Reddy Andhra Cricket Association–Visakhapatnam District Cricket Association Cricket Stadium in Pothinamallayapalem, Visakhapatnam each and every time.
We have no idea what to expect from the Dr Y S Rajashekar Reddy Andhra Cricket Association–Visakhapatnam District Cricket Association Cricket Stadium pitch, so we asked Juan Sánchez-Villalobos Ramírez from Highlander for his thoughts.
Juan Sánchez-Villalobos Ramírez says…
Greetings! A common refrain in the lead-up to this match has been that when it comes to seamers, there can be only one (at most). Let’s have a look at some of the Tests played here to see whether that sort of extreme team selection really has any merit.
> “I hear you’re an opening bowler now, Jack. How did you get interested in that type of thing?”
Now the first thing to point out is that the Dr Y S Rajashekar Reddy Andhra Cricket Association–Visakhapatnam District Cricket Association Cricket Stadium has actually only hosted two previous Test matches. England played here in 2016 and then South Africa visited in 2019. India won both of those matches by over 200 runs.
The England match delivered a textbook scorecard of sliding team scores, suggesting a fairly typical Indian surface. The home team made 455, Virat Kohli top scoring with 167, and England countered with 255, with three batters who’ll be appearing this week making fifties (Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes). India then made 204 before blitzing England for just 158.
Spinners featured prominently for the home team with R Ashwin picking up a predictable five-for in the first innings. However, the story for England was a little different. Jimmy Anderson managed 3-62 in the first innings and Stuart Broad 4-33 in the second.
If I were Ben Stokes, I’d want to play both those men again this time around – sadly, as a result of Broad’s retirement, there can be only one.
> Stuart Broad: Titan of Ridiculousness
Batting seemed to get harder and harder in 2019 too. Again India batted first, this time racking up 502-7. The opening partnership alone was worth 317 with Mayank Agarwal making 215 and Rohit Sharma 176. South Africa mustered 431 in reply with Dean Elgar and Quinton de Kock both making hundreds, only for Rohit to rack up another ton in the second innings. (Who says there can be only one?) India declared on 323-4 and then rolled South Africa for 191.
Was it all spin? Not quite. While Ashwin managed 7-145 in the first innings and predictably opened the bowling in the second, Mohammad Shami emerged with 5-35 after coming on first change.
What does this mean? Who knows? I may be a couple of thousand years old, but last week showed me that even I haven’t seen it all. All I’ll say is that even if it turns a fair bit, the players shouldn’t lose their heads.
If you’ve got two minutes, please read what the King Cricket crowdfunder is all about. Don’t worry, you don’t have to contribute or anything. Just have a read.
When it comes to picking charac- I mean people to preview Tests at the Dr Y S Rajashekar Reddy Andhra Cricket Association–Visakhapatnam District Cricket Association Cricket Stadium in Pothinamallayapalem, Visakhapatnam…
…there can only be Juan.
Well spake, Balladeer.
I know your pitch reporters don’t do requests, KC, but I was wondering whether Juan Sánchez-Villalobos Ramírez anticipates the Dr Y S Rajashekar Reddy Andhra Cricket Association–Visakhapatnam District Cricket Association Cricket Stadium in Pothinamallayapalem, Visakhapatnam slowing down as the match progresses, or…
…quickening?
I hate it when the Dr Y S Rajashekar Reddy Andhra Cricket Association–Visakhapatnam District Cricket Association Cricket Stadium in Pothinamallayapalem, Visakhapatnam is abbreviated like that. What’s wrong with the Dr Yeduguri Sandinti Rajashekar Reddy Andhra Cricket Association–Visakhapatnam District Cricket Association Cricket Stadium in Pothinamallayapalem, Visakhapatnam for goodness sake?
It’s an excellent point.
What JB needs is to not resort to half measures.
Go all the way with Doctor Yeduguri Sandinti Rajashekar Reddy Andhra Cricket Association–Visakhapatnam District Cricket Association Cricket Stadium in Pothinamallayapalem, Visakhapatnam.
A bowler who made his debut before two other bowlers in the same team were born. A first?
I’ll tell you what’s first! Annoyingly, that’s you somehow getting here before me to make this very same point. I blame a meeting I was forced to attend. Well played, Sam.
Sam.
Number of Test caps…
Jimmy Anderson: 184
The other three specialist bowlers combined: 3
A mean average of 46-47 test caps per bowler is quite a high average. Which says more about mean averages than it does about this particular bowling attack, of course.
Why was Jesus such a good player of spin?
Because Jesus swept.
An excellent innovation on the old “Why was Jesus such an effective goalkeeper?” joke, there.
Or “Why did Jesus go to the bank?”
Or “What was Jesus doing with that broom?”
I have nothing particular to add but wanted to note that I went to dinner last night at what seems to be a Kapil Dev themed restaurant in Seattle.
There were no bats, regrettably, just multiple photos of the man (not sure if finding one in a place called Kricket Club would count as unusual, anyway).
MS Dhoni and the Nawab of Pataudi also got some wall-art based acknowledgment.
Photos? This surely qualifies as cricket items in an unusual place.
A photo was indeed taken (of a photo).
Something may be incoming at some stage
Was there more to this than the wall art? Was the starters section of the menu headed “first innings”? Was there a dish named after the 1983 World Cup Final?
Missed opportunity if not, I’d say.
Bumrah!
That ball to Pope was just a joy to watch. There is something beautiful about a batsman being bowled after being beaten all ends up.