2 months and many reverse sweeps later, England go home having lost 4-1 to India. Given the level of noise surrounding the series and the extent to which this was a ‘new’ England, there is something amusing in the fact that they matched their returns from a much-maligned 2021. Two England sides, two wins, two very different reputations, unified by the quality opposition that they ran into.
Without stating the obvious, my main takeaway from every home series played by India is just how good they are at winning. Despite several availability issues they still beat England comprehensively. If it wasn’t Bumrah rattling the stumps, it was Kuldeep spinning a web. If it wasn’t Jaiswal scoring runs (which was rare), it was Shubman Gill.
In sport it can be very tempting to focus on your own team’s failings, lamenting how games were lost and mistakes were left punished, but you need to recognise when you are facing a team of serious quality. India are for me one of, if not the, very best Test sides in the world.
It is because of this that I’m not overly convinced by the argument that England have let themselves down because they lost to India. Much is being made of failing to win either of their last two Test series, but it’s not silly to point out that they’ve played the two best sides in the world.
I remember having a similar sense in 2021 when they had a torrid run of playing away to India, home to a very strong New Zealand, home to India, and finally away to Australia.
What makes much of the last year frustrating to some extent, is the nature in which a lot of these matches have unfolded. Going all the way back to the drawn Test in New Zealand, there is a sense that this is an England team that struggles to finish teams off.
In both the Edgbaston and Lord’s Tests last summer, England had moments in the game to grab control. They could not do this, and ended up losing both. In this respect I do feel somewhat conflicted. Maybe it is an issue of killer instinct, but maybe it speaks more again to ability.
Without being terribly boring, maybe the reason England struggle to take advantage of these moments is because they are not quite good enough to. One aspect of being the actual best is being unforgiving when it comes to capitalising on moments of weakness.
Looking to the home summer, there are plenty of questions floating around England. For one, the almost quintessentially English question of who takes the gloves. Both Bairstow and Foakes had torrid tours with the bat. Giving Joe Root, Harry Brook, and Ben Stokes’ locked in positions, there is only one to spare.
Personally, I am not sold on Ben Foakes at 7 for England. As well as he kept in India, I have major reservations about his performances with the bat. He struggles to bat with the tail, and any talk of working around this by promoting him up the order would be to the detriment of a superior batter.
That’s not to say I’m blind to the drawbacks of playing Jonny Bairstow. After a long layoff he struggled with the gloves against Australia, and could not match the electric form he had in 2022. With that being said, I still value run-scoring over pure keeping in English conditions.
Of course, England might go with someone completely new. There’s plenty of talk about any one of James Rew, Ollie Robinson, or even Phil Salt. It’s not out of the question that England decide to look beyond their current candidates, and make a move for the future.
This is a topic that is equally relevant to their bowling selections. Jack Leach has struggled with injury, and the retirement of Stuart Broad leaves a noticeable hole in the fast bowling attack.
Thinking about the spinners, the tour of India leaves plenty of options for who England view as being next in line. Tom Hartley and Rehan Ahmed offer more with the bat, but I found myself more impressed with Shoaib Bashir’s bowling. I felt he was the most consistent option in terms of offering control, and would definitely like to see him play more.
A couple of years ago I would have thought England’s next frontline fast bowler was a pretty easy decision. In 2021 and 2022 Ollie Robinson was fantastic, but fitness and form have faltered. The talk around him from the media and England themselves would suggest there are real questions over his place in the setup.
On top of this, there are no shortage of names cropping up who want a go. Gus Atkinson will surely get his debut this summer, and I would be very surprised if we did not see Matt Potts and Josh Tongue again (fitness allowing). With 6 home Tests I imagine we will see plenty of different bowlers slotted in around James Anderson, Chris Woakes, and Mark Wood.
Underneath all of this, will be the inevitable talk about next year’s Ashes. It will always be a topic that looms large over English cricket, and will surely influence the selections they make. For example, they know that Chris Woakes struggles in away conditions. So that is already one spot in the team they need to find a replacement for.
Taking this into account, it would be a mistake to view this summer as some kind of free hit. Whilst the West Indies and Sri Lanka are not at the same level as India and Australia, it would be completely disrespectful to view these as games that England can just show up for. A West Indies side that have won a Test match down under more recently than England themselves quite plainly have plenty to offer.
With the Test series done, I’m looking forward to a bit of time enjoying everything else that the cricketing world has to offer. From the WPL and PSL now and the IPL very soon, it’s a mad dash to the T20 World Cup in June. I for one, cannot wait.