Aakash Chopra: Jennings Batted Like the Great Andy Flower vs India

England’s Keaton Jennings employed three different varieties of the sweep shot on day one of the 4th Test vs India.

England’s Ben Stokes (25*) and Jos Buttler (18*) ended day one of the fourth Test against India at 288/5 on Thursday. What does this score suggest?

On most pitches in India it will be considered as a below-par effort on the first day after winning the toss. But at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai, it's a score that should make the batting side happy, for this isn't a pitch where batting five sessions is a possibility.

The pitch at Wankhede is made of red soil (most pitches across India are made of black soil with a high clay content) and therefore unlike other pitches, it offers more bounce and turn. It also dries up quicker and crumbles faster than the rest. The first signs of what to expect from the pitch appeared in the eighth over of the day in which a ball took a piece off the pitch while landing.

There's enough evidence to suggest that the first innings of this game, for both sides, is going to determine their respective fate.

England are about 112 runs away from safety and India has a window of 50 runs or an hour on the second day to stay competitive in this game. Whichever team wins the first session on the second day, is likely to be in the driver's seat.

Different Personnel, Different Approach

At the start of the tour, Cook found an able partner in Haseeb Hameed. In the first day of the fourth Test, he not just found a worthy successor for Hameed but also a potential number three batsman for matches to come.

Keaton Jennings got a reprieve without opening his account and that turned out to be the only blemish in his dominating century on Test debut. He started as a skeptical driver but grew in confidence as his innings progressed.

Against the spinners, Jennings batted like the great Andy Flower. He employed three different varieties of the sweep shot – Paddle sweep, proper sweep and the reverse sweep during the day’s play.

He has been quick to read the length and, more importantly, didn't allow the pitch or the quality of Indian spinners to alter his response. The other refreshing aspect of England's batting in the opening session was their intent to keep the scoreboard ticking.

Ashwin – The Master

Once again, Ashwin showcased why he's a serial player of the match and player of the series award winner. Good players wait for the chances to come their way to capitalize on them but great players create those chances. Ashwin's display of his control over his craft was sensational to watch and just like great players, he made things happen.

He made the ball swerve away from Root and the ball landed an inch or two away from where Root thought it would. Then to dismiss Jennings, he made the dip and that foxed a well-set batsman, because he thought that the ball would land land a lot closer.

After which the extra bounce accounted for Bairstow. The yardsticks to judge a spinner are drift, dip, turn and bounce, and Ashwin displayed them in abundance on the first day. Ashwin is this team's most valuable player and his form is directly proportional to how the team fares.

India's Concern

While India's bowling has been the highlight of this series, their batting has relied mostly on Kohli, Pujara and the tail. Both Kohli and Pujara have been in great form throughout the series.

Vijay started this series with a ton but has petered away a little since then. In the recent past KL Rahul has missed more matches because of injuries than he has played.

Rahane's absence has given Karun Nair another chance. If three of the top five batsmen aren't in red-hot form, then it is a huge cause for concern for India.

The average score across the four innings at Wankhede drops radically with each passing innings (in the last five Tests the average score in the fourth innings is just 145) and since India have to bat last, it’s critical to make the first innings count.

The beauty of playing at the Wankhede is that the match moves at a very brisk pace. While one must admit that England have their noses slightly ahead, but India needs only one good session to change the complexion of this match.