Of the many joys cricket provides, only a few can match the feeling of getting a prediction right, one that fans and analysts of the game cherish, particularly on social media.
England skipper Ben Stokes should be a man overcome by a similar emotion after off-spinner Shoaib Bashir backed up his words with a four-wicket haul, which put the visiting side ahead in the fourth Test against India, at the JSCA Stadium in Ranchi on Saturday.
Before the Test, Stokes had pointed out Bashir’s qualities would suit the Ranchi surface. “It looks like someone like Bashir, who releases the ball from such a high release point, the extra bounce that he gets, we feel, is going to bring us more into the game.”
Bashir did exactly as his skipper hoped, using his height to great advantage, leaving the Indian top-order in tatters with a destructive spell of spin bowling.
To call the 20-year-old Bashir inexperienced would be an understatement. The Ranchi Test is just his eighth First-Class match and his haul today is, in fact, his best bowling figures in any format at the senior level.
Bashir celebrates taking his third of four wickets during the second day of fouth Test match between India and England at JSCA International Stadium Complex on February 24, 2024 in Ranchi. | Photo Credit: K.R. Deepak/The Hindu
Bashir’s Test debut came just two games ago, in Visakhapatnam, where he put in an impressive shift, claiming four wickets across both innings. But he was already in the news a few times by then, after being caught in the middle of a diplomatic storm following a visa denial, which led him to join the English side a week late.
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Bashir’s induction into the English squad was also one not many saw coming. The six-foot-four spinner sprung past many in the waiting line, mostly with the insistence of Stokes, who chanced upon the youngster’s bowling on social media.
“To be perfectly honest, Abu Dhabi was the first real live look I got at Bashir. The first time I saw him was on Twitter. I think the County Championship [account] put a little clip together of him bowling against Alastair [Cook].
“I’m in a WhatsApp group with Rob Key and Brendon McCullum. I forwarded the clip and said, ‘Have a look at this, this could be something we could work with on our India tour’ and it just progressed from there. He got selected on the Lions tour and obviously, the coaches on that tour fed back everything to us,” said Stokes earlier in the series.
On Saturday, on a surface where Indian off-spinner R. Ashwin failed to gain much purchase in the first innings, Bashir ticked more than just a few boxes.
Bashir, who utilised a very wide approach to the popping crease, was a relentless presence in the Indian innings, bowling 31 overs on the trot, breaking his spell late into the day only to get a change of ends. He succeeded in exploiting the cracks on the pitch better than anyone other spinner has done so far in this Test.
The offie’s tireless performance was also backed by some aggressive captaincy from Stokes, which was best exhibited in the dismissal of Rajat Patidar.
By then, Bashir had already picked up his first wicket of the day, accounting for a well-set Shubman Gill with one that spun viciously off a crack to trap the batter in front.
England and Stokes felt they had a chance to prise the Indian middle-order open even further, considering the rut that Patidar has been in - he had been dismissed for single-digit scores in three of his first four Test innings.
Just when Patidar thought he had gained a foothold, Stokes pressed on by bringing in three fielders short on the leg-side – a short mid-wicket, a short mid-on and a short-square. Bashir bowled to his captain’s plan – a good length delivery pitching just outside the off-stump – and Patidar’s outing ended just like Gill’s.
Bashir accounted for two more wickets in the day, of Ravindra Jadeja and the Indian top-scorer Yashasvi Jaiswal, to end the day with figures of four for 84 from 32 overs.
India’s Yashasvi Jaiswal is bowled by England’s Shoaib Bashir during the second day of fouth Test match between India and England at JSCA International Stadium Complex on February 24, 2024 in Ranchi. | Photo Credit: K.R Deepak / The Hindu
His performance also drew praise from Joe Root, who had earlier propped up England’s first innings with an unbeaten hundred.
“It was great to see him [Bashir] keep coming, time and time again today, asking really difficult questions of their batting order. And again, he should take a lot of confidence for the rest of this game and further on as well,” said Root after Stumps on Day 2.
“He’s a great young lad to have in the group. I’ve not seen much of him, and I might not have known much about him before this series, but he’s got a great character. As you can see, he has got huge amounts of ability and skill and a lot to offer, especially on a surface like this,” added Root.
With India’s tail-end wagging on, Stokes’ England will be hoping that its captain continues to be right about Bashir.
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