IND vs ENG: Use your feet, gentlemen!

Virat Kohli described the daynight third Test as ldquobizarrerdquo a word that aptly describes the England batsmenrsquos attempts to cope with Indiarsquos spinnersIndiarsquos decision to select three spinners for the Test was prompted by Englandrsquos batting on a tricky Chennai pitch where their batsmen mdashJoe Root exceptedmdashdisplayed a distinct ineptitude against spin India correctly calculated this would result in mental scarring and used it to their advantageAxar Patelrsquos trickFrom the moment Axar Patel conjured up the ultimate thimble and pea trick to dismiss Jonny Bairstow with a straight one England were in a spin Is the ball over there No itrsquos here When faced with a serious spin challenge the England batsmen donrsquot trust their defence which eventually results in panicked attempts toattack the Indian spinners Their choice to reverse sweep rather than leave their crease to change the bowlerrsquos length is a classic example How can a risky premeditated shot be less dangerous than what was previously a trusted technique to unsettle good spinnersOne of the first principles of battingmdashespecially on a pitch assisting spinnersmdashis to keep the odds slightly in your favourFollowing the memorable 2001 series in India where VVS Laxman made a magnificent 281 on a testing surface I asked Shane Warne how he thought he performed ldquoI didnrsquot think I bowled badlyrdquo he replied ldquoYou didnrsquotrdquo was my response ldquoWhen a batsman alters your length drastically by coming out three paces and then is quickly onto the back foot when you toss the next delivery a little higher and shorter thatrsquos not bad bowling thatrsquos excellent footworkrdquoShrewd use of footwork not only helps to negate the spin but also puts a batsman in a position to direct the ball where he wants rather than where the bowler would prefer it to be hitTo be fair this is a skill that has to be learned at a young age Which prompts the question why is it not widely taught in England where sweeping ismisguidedly touted as the secret to playing spin bowling successfullyAnother prominent theory is to take block on offstump when the ball is spinning back into the batsman This flawed theory closes off scoring opportunities through the onside Itrsquos designed to reduce the chances of being dismissed rather than create scoring opportunities which is always a bad option It also causes batsmen to play balls towards legslip why deliberately hit the ball to a catching fielderI asked former Australian batsman Doug Walters ldquoHow do you get caught at legslip against an offspinnerrdquo He replied ldquoYou canrsquotrdquoWalters is the best batsman Irsquove seen against topclass offspin He scored a century in a session on a tricky Queens Park Oval pitch with Lance Gibbs operating after crafting a brilliant hundred against Erapalli Prasanna on a Chepauk pitch that was as difficult as the recent Test there between India and England On both occasions he used lightning quick footwork both negate the spin and manipulate the field placings against two champion offspinnersBack in Ahmedabad Ollie Pope decided to use his feet to the Indian spinners he had the right idea but the wrong executionTentative PopeFirstly he jumped rather than glided out of the crease Secondly his front foot pressed forward but the back one lingered as if searching for the safety of the creaseI was told two crucial things about footwork when I was young ldquoGet stumped by three yards not three inchesrdquo my coach said ldquoand never think about the rsquokeeper when you leave the creaserdquo Pope thought of the rsquokeeper as he tentatively ventured out of his crease so he was worried hersquod miss the delivery That results in footwork that hinders rather than helps Itrsquos never easy against good spinners on a challenging surface but it is possible to play well just not the way England is going about it