 "Rishabh Pant was batting on 37 when he was struck on the foot by an inside edge off a Chris Woakes yorker on Day 1 of the fourth Test against England in Manchester. Reuters")
It was something of a throwback day of Test cricket at Old Trafford on Wednesday, bad light bringing proceedings to a close with the score at 264/4 – given the swashbuckling seen on these shores in recent seasons, what once would have been very much the norm now seemed positively retro.
A fitting time then for Liam Dawson to make his return to the Test arena, eight years and five days, or 102 matches if you prefer, since he last did so. The last time Dawson donned the whites for England Robert Mugabe was still in power, the Nintendo Switch had only just been released, the world and English cricket looked very different indeed.
As selections go, Dawson is something of a throwback himself, not so much a Bazballian pick based on high-release points and future potential, rather one founded on a long and consistent county career and the skills and nous accumulated from it.
Getting Jaiswal a useful bonus on Test comeback for Dawson
The opening act of his comeback story was successful if low-key, showing the crucial day one ability to tie down an end, while also winkling out the dangerous Yashasvi Jaiswal as a more than useful bonus.
Speaking after the close of play Dawson was realistic and largely just seemed happy to be back:
Impact Shorts
More Shorts“It was nice to contribute to the team early on,” he said. “I’ve said to a few people that the age I’m at, I thought Test cricket was gone. To be back involved is really cool and I’ve got to try and enjoy each day that I get.
“Test cricket is completely different to domestic cricket so to get that wicket was a nice relief coming back into it. It’s a big day tomorrow, hopefully I’ll get a couple more. It’s one wicket, I’ve done nothing special.
“I knew what to expect coming into it for a second time so that helped to understand what it’s going to be like. But Test cricket is hard, you’ll have good and bad days. The biggest thing for me is I understood what to expect whereas before, I didn’t really.”
Questionable Indian selection and Pant’s injury
For such a traditional day of Test cricket, and one in which India did well to put up stiff resistance to a much improved England bowling performance, the tourists still managed to insert a healthy dollop of chaos into their proceedings.
While injuries were largely to blame this time around, the team selection remains something of a piece of performance art for India in this series, three changes made once again.
Nitish Kumar Reddy and Akash Deep’s withdrawals may have been unavoidable, but the reintroduction of Shardul Thakur to the series raised a few eyebrows, and the return of Sai Sudharsan just two Tests after he was unceremoniously dropped – having made his debut in that match – smacked of a fickleness usually best kept well away from any selectorial business.
However the far greater spanner into the Indian works came in the evening session, Rishabh Pant rather reaping what he sowed attempting a shot straight out of his own bizarro textbook. Pant opted to reverse-sweep the fourth ball of the 68th over, but only succeeded in diverting Chris Woakes’ yorker firmly into his foot – England reviewed but the inside edge spared him the ignominy of the LBW.
Ultimately though it was something of a pyrrhic victory for Pant, who instantly retired hurt and is now in the words of teammate Sudharsan “unlikely” to play much further part in the match – scan of his foot pending .
It was the only real standout event in an otherwise fairly ordinary day, but one which could have serious consequences for Indian hopes in the remainder of this series.