New Delhi, February 14th (PTI) Australian star Ian Chappell believes England captain Joe Root, who failed to declare his second innings in the opening test, missed a message that would later give him “valuable psychological advantage” could have provided series.
Despite their overall lead of over 350 on a deteriorating field of play, England surprisingly chose to keep beating until they were knocked out in their second innings.
“Although Root had a brilliant all-round game in the first test, he was unable to take full advantage of England’s superiority at a critical point in the game.”
“Instead of oscillating between an all-out attack and an inexplicable defense in the late stages of their second inning, England should have acted aggressively to declare and set a target,” wrote Chappell in ESPNcricinfo.
After battling deep into the final session of the fourth night, England eventually set India a world record goal of 420.
However, the visitors took the victory on the last day with enough time.
But Chappell, a former Australia captain, said: “This (statement) would have sent a strong message to India: we are not concerned about your much-lauded batting team.
“If Root had declared instead of getting kicked out, it could have given him valuable psychological advantage later on in the series.
“Sending a message of trust could easily have affected a decision Virat Kohli would have to make later on on the show.”
While praising Root for improvements to the captain and his compliance with the bat, Chappell said he could still learn the “art of perception and psychology.”
“One aspect of the captain that Root can improve on is the art of perception and psychology – two crucial aspects of the test game captain.
Chappell believed that it was both a question of skill and luck.
“I think the balance is closer to 50:50. Take the first India-England test in Chennai as an example.
“Winning the throw was a happy break for English captain Joe Root. However, his innings were an example of the saying, ‘You make your own fortune.” His monumental innings of 218 ensured England hit a staggering total that eventually led to an all-out victory.
“The decisive win was built on a strong foundation created by the captain’s high level of dexterity with the bat.”
To highlight Root’s astute captain, Chappell cited the example of forcing James Anderson to work his magic with the reverse ball.
“… Then Jimmy Anderson, deliberately denying the new ball, cut the second Indian innings to get England firmly on the path to victory with a shot of brilliant swing bowling.
“This was a specific plan to take advantage of the ball’s tendency to swing backwards at around 25 to 30 overs. That was clever planning with little luck,” said Chappell. PTI
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