OTD 2014 – England secure historic draw against India

The first Test between England and India at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, in July 2014 will be remembered by cricket enthusiasts for a very long time. It was a game where the lower-order of both teams showed great resilience on a pitch that had very little help for the batters.

In the first innings, after MS Dhoni won the toss and opted to bat first, Murali Vijay scored a fantastic century at the top of the order. Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, and Ravindra Jadeja got starts but couldn’t capitalise. Dhoni slammed a brilliant 82 off 152 balls. However, the tourists suffered a collapse as they went from 304/4 to 346/9. The onus was on the last-wicket pairing of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami to take the team past the 350-run mark and then to as close as 400 as possible.

However, the two fast bowlers batted out of their skins on a lifeless track. They added a 111-run partnership, with Bhuvneshwar making 58 and Shami remaining not out on 51. This was Shami’s maiden half-century in Test matches. India finished on 457 in 161 overs.
In reply, Joe Root anchored the innings with a magnificent 154 not out, while Sam Robson and Gary Ballance chipped in with handy half-centuries. Stuart Broad slammed a quickfire 47 off 42 balls to help England avoid the follow-on. However, the most important partnership in the game was between Root and James Anderson for the 10th wicket. They added a whopping 198 runs for the 10th wicket, taking England from 298/9 to 496 all out.

Their effort shattered the previous all-time Test record for the highest 10th-wicket partnership, which was between Ashton Agar and Phil Hughes in 2013. Anderson made 81, which became the highest-ever Test score by an England No. 11 batter.

In India’s second innings, Murali Vijay scored another half-century to back up his ton in the first. Cheteshwar Pujara also completed a fluent half-century. Several Indian batters failed to convert their starts into substantial scores. However, Stuart Binny top-scored with a 114-ball 78 and received good support from Bhuvneshwar, who made an unbeaten 63. India finished on 391/9 as both teams settled for a draw.

The surface was criticised by fans and experts for being too favourable for the batters. There was no joy whatsoever for the bowlers, who had a chance to improve their numbers as batters. Alastair Cook had taken his first and only international wicket in this game. He had dismissed star Indian pacer Ishant Sharma in the closing stages of the Test match. Anderson was named Player of the Match for his all-round exploits. Apart from the half-century he scored, the right-handed batter took four wickets across the two innings.

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