It was crucial in Australia’s ruthless hold for over a decade, and it’s been a major factor in India’s ascendency in the last couple of years or so.
Anil Kumble, as VVS Laxman pointed out recently in an interview to this paper, took great pride in his batting. Among the present generation, the likes of Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Amit Mishra, Abhimanyu Mithun, Pragyan Ojha and Ishant Sharma have, at various stages, come up with stellar batting shows as India have successfully found their way out of trouble on many an occasion.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni, during whose captaincy India have made it a habit of fighting through tail-enders, underlined the significance of lower-order batting. “More often than not, the contribution from batsmen and bowlers has come together. Not only the top-order batsmen perform but the lower order puts up a fight and a price on their wickets to get us those 40-60 more extra runs which prove crucial in the end result,” he pointed out.
Zaheer and Harbhajan’s match-saving 80-run partnership when India were looking down the barrel in the opening Test against Australia in Bangalore in 2008 in fact set the tone for India’s recent domination of Australia.
Last year against New Zealand, Harbhajan came up with two back-to-back tons which helped India save a Test in Ahmedabad and another in Hyderabad. The off-spinner’s 70 also helped India put up a decent total against the West Indies in Kingston in a low-scoring victory recently. Ishant’s fighting 31 along with Laxman’s 73 not out against Australia in Mohali is perhaps India’s most memorable fightback to victory in a long time.
In the two Tests against England so far, India have been found wanting in this department whereas the hosts have flourished on the back of some inspiring batting by their bowlers. Stuart Broad struck an unbeaten 74 to forge an unbroken 162-run association with Matt Prior in the second innings of the first Test at Lord’s to help his side recover from being 107 for six. The Nottingham player was at it again when he struck a counter-attacking 64 to lift England to a respectable 221 all out from a hopeless 124 for eight.
Tim Bresnan showed why he is considered a better bat than Broad when the right-hander effortlessly stroked his way to 90 in the second innings and helped England tighten the screws on India.
Bresnan added 119 with Prior and raised a further 82 with Broad (44) as the home team made mockery of the bowler-friendly conditions at Trent Bridge.
The statistics couldn’t have been more stark and they tell a tale of their own. While in four innings the English tail has amassed a staggering 349 runs, which is almost 42 percent of the runs scored by India’s top-order, Indian bowlers have scored a meagre 42 runs in three hits. It can be argued that scoring runs isn’t the bowlers’ job, but when two teams are stacked equally, well almost, the tail indeed makes a big difference.