India vs England: Virat Kohli and Co will need to counter the Lord’s slope in order to mount comeback in series

As one looks towards the iconic Lord’s pavilion from the Nursery End of the ground, one thing that immediately sticks out is the slope across the ground. To be exact, the drop from the Grandstand side to the Tavern is over eight feet. No other ground in the world can boast of such a peculiarity. Many overseas batsmen and bowlers have arrived at Lord’s and struggled to combat the slight tilt in the pitch. It can be deceiving and affect a batsman’s visualisation, while the bowlers can be affected in their run-up and the follow through. Former England batsman-turned-selector James Taylor, in an ECB video, suggest it is vital for each batsman to understand his technique so they can formulate a method while batting at the Nursery End or the Pavilion End. [caption id=“attachment_4924971” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] India’s KL Rahul and Virat Kohli attend a nets session at Lord’s. Reuters[/caption] Perhaps that was the reason why all the Indian batsmen reconfirmed their guards in the nets during a practice session. While the practice pitches are at the back of the ground and have no slant, it is quite important for the batsmen to be mentally ready for the way the ball may react depending on which end of the ground they are batting at. We could well see batsmen taking a slightly different guard to ensure they can combat the ball coming down the slope or holding its line against it. Four years ago, Virat Kohli was left stunned after he shouldered arms to a ball that jagged up against the slope. It would leave a scar in his mind for rest of the series. Kohli is already in a better state mentally this time around, but for the other Indian batsmen that have struggled so far, the angle on the 22-yard-strip could be another dimension they need to cope against. Batting coach Sanjay Bangar spent a couple of minutes with the likes of Ajinkya Rahane and KL Rahul in the build-up discussing the potential impact of the gradient. The former all-rounder could be seen gesturing the angle with his hands and how it could work in favour of the batsmen. Taylor, in his video, mentions how he would shift his guard towards the off-side so he could cover the ball moving down the hill and use the movement to his advantage. Conversely, while batting on the Pavilion End, he would make deliberate effort to plant his front foot more down the wicket rather than across. Former England captain Mike Gatting, who played for Middlesex for over a decade, was asked about the challenge the slope presented for the batsmen, to which he repied, “The less you think about it the better it is.” Ricky Ponting, who was also present at Lord’s for the MCC meeting said, “You can feel it (slope) under your feet, but it was always the best to ignore it rather than focus on it.” The slope can also either facilitate a bowler or cause havoc for them. It is worth mentioning that four years ago when India pulled off a stunning victory at Lord’s, both Ishant Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the build-up spent close to an hour bowling on the practice pitches adjacent to match day pitches. In the lead-up to the match on Thursday, none of the bowlers seemed to have practiced the drills in the centre wicket area. According to Gatting, it is the bowlers that can have more problems coping with the unnatural angle of the pitch rather the batsmen. Bowling from the Pavilion End is generally reserved for bowlers that can jag the ball back in towards the right-hand batsmen. Ishant had great success at Lord’s four years ago, as his natural movement allowed him to bowl ever further outside off-stump and still threaten the stumps. On the contrary, such is the slope that if the bowler cannot adjust his line, it can be common to see the ball drift down the leg-side. In a way, it is a double-edged sword. While the Indian bowlers did not test themselves on the ground, bowling coach Bharat Arun and Ravi Shastri did constantly talk to the bowlers in the nets about shifting their lines. Hardik Pandya, was one who continued to ask after nearly every delivery, “Is that okay or can I get wider?” Former England fast bowler Mike Selvey sums up the technicalities the best in his column for The Guardian. “In order to make the best use of the Pavilion End, bowlers need to have a straight run to the crease rather than a curve.” Picking the right end as the bowler can be equally important. Generally, seam bowlers like bowling from the Pavilion End and jag the ball back of the pitch, while the swing bowlers like to operate from the Nursery End and operate into the breeze. Either way, the Indian bowlers, and batsmen will need to counter the slope if they are to come out on top and level the series.