Unhappy England seem to have left door ajar for India

England are peeved, ostensibly because India escaped with a draw at Old Trafford, but actually for Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar denying them an extra hour's rest.

- Somshuvra Laha

That the fate of a five-match series could change in the span of seven hours is what makes Test cricket such a great leveller. But the blame for England not being able to seal it in Manchester also falls squarely on them.

Flat pitches, predictable batting and unimaginative bowling has stripped this series of the interest it generated in the buildup, leaving raw emotions dictating key moments of the last two Tests. They clapped at Lord's, India clapped back the next evening at Lord’s. Ben Stokes tried to belittle Jadeja and Sundar’s effort at Old Trafford and was duly shut down, and shortly after the world got to read the transcript of what ‘went down. It makes for great television, but ultimately can’t cover up for the glaring holes in England's strategy.

India have been gritty but that isn't the only reason each of the four Tests have gone on till the last session of the fifth day —a record in its own right. So unyielding has been England's bat-big narrative that bowlers have been shortchanged in the process. Despite England's push, strike rates remain a definitive ‘way of judging bowlers in red ball cricket. And England’s numbers are dire.