England
After Hyderabad's victory, the wicketkeeper prepared for harsh conditions in
Visakhapatnam.
The
fact that the second of five Test series is set in the "City of
Destiny" seems like a bit of a lost opportunity. Maybe the order of the
off-Broadway venues chosen for this India-England series took recent history
into account. There's only a guarantee that the games up front will be live.
But
there was a distinct sense of fate in the Bay as both teams touched down in
Visakhapatnam on Tuesday afternoon. Next week at this time, it might be all
square, or — shock of the year — England might be leading 2-0 going into their
mid-series break in Abu Dhabi. When the touring party reached India, only they
thought this might be possible.
Only two previous Test matches have taken place at the ACA-VDCA Stadium, beginning with England's visit in November 2016. Both of those matches went pretty much the same way: they were first good for batting, but from day three onwards, the spin came into play. Similar to the surface that was rolled out in Hyderabad.
Due
to prior experience, there is a suspicion that Friday's pitch might be more
severe. Those who traveled throughout India in 2021 are all too familiar with
the three crushing defeats that ensued after their first-round triumph in
Chennai. Ben Foakes, who was brought into the side for the second Test of that
series, said of the pitches, "All three were probably the worst pitches
I've batted on."
Because
of the Covid-19 era's movement restrictions as well as the harsh, humiliating
nature of the losses, some of the tour participants have called it the worst
experience of their lives. The free-spirited environment that existed under Ben
Stokes and Brendon McCullum is a far cry from this. Similarly, England is also
preparing for whatever surprises India may have this week.
"Going
into that, I was thinking, 'These are horrific wickets - I just need to find a
way to stay in'," Foakes stated. "If that's the case, I believe the
group is more positive and that you need to put the bowler under pressure and
put them back under pressure."
"Earlier,
we were more afraid of leaving our shells, which made us more reclusive. Now,
however, you should accept that you are likely on those kinds of surfaces and
stop worrying about getting out. However, how are you able to occasionally go
and dominate as well?"
OlliePope, with his second-inning 196, was the poster child for that strategy in Hyderabad, and Foakes was again an important adjunct. A cautious 34 off 81 balls provided Pope with reinforcement in a stand of 112, putting England ahead. Foakes was part of a century stand for the sixth wicket for the fifth time in the Bazball era, all of which ended in victories.
When
asked about his role in these partnerships, he replied, "I usually get
about 25 of them," in jest. "At Surrey, I bat at No. 5, so I just bat
and that's really an ideal situation for me, whereas playing for England,
batting lower down, I'd say my game is better suited to when a batter stays
in."When I take over, I've tried to focus on expanding early if we lose a
few wickets. However, I believe that generally speaking, I've been most
successful in my career when faced with those kinds of circumstances where you
have to work hard. It fits right into my game because that's where I still need
to improve."
Although
beneficial in certain circumstances, Foakes' dismissal for the Ashes last
summer occurred as a result of that grind, as Jonny Bairstow replaced him in
the gloves following his injury recovery. Even though Foakes is accustomed to
spotty runs in the England team after earning his first of 21 caps in Sri Lanka
in 2018, the disappointment was all too familiar to him.
He
admitted, "I obviously found it difficult." "I don't think I was
shocked or anything like that because my career in England was very erratic.
It's hard for me to get started on what I'm doing.
Of
course, you experience a range of feelings. When I was waiting to bat for
Surrey at Lord's one day, Jonny gave me a finger-slap. I was in a panic,
staring at the television and thinking, "This is it, I have to bat!"
That kind of thing is more the case. I make an effort to maintain my composure
in the face of so much going on. I watched the obviously fantastic series from
the comfort of my couch."
However,
this ought to be an uncommonly clean run for Foakes. He was chosen for this
tour specifically to play on fields that require spotless maintenance. Harry
Brook's return home for private reasons facilitated his return to the playing
eleven, with Bairstow instructed to concentrate only on his batting at number
five.
Foakes didn't make an impact on the scorecard until the final moments of the first
Test, which prevented R Ashwin and Mohammed Siraj from getting out of the
wicket against Tom Hartley. Despite his one mishap in the game—an early
half-chance off KL Rahul off Joe Root's bowling during India's opening innings—he
emphasized the value of maintaining composure in Indian conditions.
"The
more extreme the conditions you know things are occasionally going to wrong so
you just have to be mentally strong enough to put it out of your mind," he
stated. "There is a good chance the next one is going to be a tough
one."It's nice to be in the game, especially as a keeper. You know that
it's clearly a very difficult place to stay. You're going to experience some
difficult times or a difficult day. However, you would much rather be involved
in the action than stand by and watch the ball do nothing.
"It's
important to try to learn and think quickly in situations like this because
they're not typical for me. Obviously, I've avoided a lot of contact and have
only used spinners, but I think Indian pitches are among the hardest due to
their inconsistent bounce."
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