Thrilling century included key joust with Ashwin, who tormented him on 2016 tour
Vithushan Ehantharajah16-Feb-20242:42
Manjrekar: England template has allowed Duckett to bat freely
As soon as India were bowled out for 445, thoughts immediately turned to which England batter would be R Ashwin’s 500th victim. That, after all, was what most of those in the ground were here for.By leaving the second Test in Visakhapatnam with 499, Ashwin gave everyone 10 days’ notice. Rajkot had the honour of hosting the grand occasion, with enough time for the invites to go out and RSVPs to be returned, decorations to be sorted and caterers hired. With everything set, all that was left was the “batter reveal” – who would get to be unlucky No.500? And, really, how could you have looked past the bloke Ashwin had dismissed five times in seven innings, and twice already this series?Three hours later, however, Ashwin followed that bloke – Ben Duckett – off the field at the close of day two. Ashwin had indeed claimed that one precious wicket, Zak Crawley, albeit for the concession of 37 runs in seven overs. Duckett, meanwhile, had 133 from just 118 balls in his back pocket. This might have been Ashwin’s party, but Duckett had taken the cake.It was an oversight from Rohit Sharma to only bring Ashwin on against Duckett when the opener had 55. Not just because of the last few weeks but also because of their history, dating back to England’s 2016-17 tour.Duckett has long made his peace with his chastening experience seven years ago of averaging six from three innings. He arrived this time around with the phlegmatic perspective that, of course, Ashwin would get him a few more times. But he is better equipped to give a bit back. And how.The tale between the two was of 28 runs scored off 27 balls. Duckett’s first of four boundaries against Ashwin was a good-length delivery turning into middle and off, swept way in front of square, with the front pad comfortably outside leg. The next boundary was arguably the shot of the day: Duckett pushing onto the back foot and playing a turning delivery off the surface, threading it through wide mid-on. It was a ball he would have fearfully pressed forward to back in 2016.Duckett brought up his hundred off 88 balls•Getty ImagesThe real kicker came when the last half of Ashwin’s penultimate over was taken for 13. A slog-sweep for six over cow corner was followed by another slap for four through the same region. It was at that point Ashwin took a backward step, moving the man from point to plug the gap.A flatter straighter ball was then flicked around the corner to take Duckett to 92. The evening session drinks break came and Ashwin was hooked, eventually reintroduced for the final over of the day. He thought he had his man lbw three deliveries from the end, only for DRS to confirm the ball had pitched outside leg stump.”I would have really loved to bowl at him when he was on nought, and not on 60, 70 runs,” a frustrated Ashwin said at stumps. “He’s a very different player to bowl at when he’s on 60-70 for sure.”A couple of shots that he hit, like the slog-sweeps, were really, really special. But again, like I said, Ben Duckett is a phenomenal talent in England. Credit to him, he’s made a wonderful hundred today. I wanted to clap but the hardcore competitor in me didn’t allow me to clap. Very happy for Ben, but nevertheless come the next time around I will try to take him on. That’s just who I am.”Demons like Ashwin are hard to exorcise, particularly when they happen to be an off-spinner who is statistically the most prolific bowler in history against your type (249 of his 500 dismissals have been against left-handers). But winning them over, even for one day, is the next best option.Sure, Duckett would have felt sweet liberation had he reached his century off Ashwin. He did at least send him to fetch the gorgeous on-drive off Mohammad Siraj that took him to a third Test hundred off just 88 deliveries. Not that Duckett noticed, fist-pumping as soon as he realised it was on its way to the sponge, looking to the heavens before saluting a dressing-room chuffed that one who plays so selflessly was getting his moment in the sun.He reached the close of day two on 133 off 118 balls•Getty ImagesIt’s important to state this was much more than Duckett versus Ashwin. This was Duckett versus India. Duckett versus the situation. Duckett versus perception. Duckett versus the past.A mammoth first innings cast a deep shadow over England, yet Duckett’s work – providing more than 64 percent of their overnight 207 for 2 – has given them a glimpse of light, trailing by just 238 going into day three. India’s 119 runs ground out over 44.5 overs this morning were matched by Duckett alone in just 99 balls.A six-over mini-session before tea offered the rainbows and rain that come with Duckett’s territory. There were four boundaries but also five plays-and-misses – three coming in a single over against Siraj. In any other team you’d have expected a stern word was had at the break, given what followed. But the only message Bazball’s most natural disciple was ever going to get was: “Keep doing you”.And he did. Whether top-spin-forehand-ing Siraj through cover from a tight fourth-stump line, or sweeping and reverse-sweeping Kuldeep Yadav to provide 40 of England’s fifty as early as 8.4 overs, or punching a full ball outside off from Jasprit Bumrah inside mid-on for a 19th boundary to move to 97, this was liquid Duckett.Even Rohit cracked a smile when he switched hands and launched Ravindra Jadeja over the fence at point for his 23rd and final boundary of day two. How do you stop this? It’s worth noting that, through the maelstrom of wrists and forearms, there was an inordinate amount of control. Only 14 of those initial 88 deliveries to get him to three figures were logged by ESPNcricinfo as mis-hits, and none of his first 20 boundaries were edged.Related
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Duckett’s record under Ben Stokes right now reads an impressive 1,260 runs at an average of 54.78, scored at a strike rate of 92.24. After a run of six starts between 20 and 48 in his last six knocks, he now has the showpiece innings they promised, with the third fastest recorded Test century by a visiting batter in India. Only Adam Gilchrist (84) and Clive Lloyd (85) managed quicker.Six years prior to his recall to the Test side for last winter’s tour of Pakistan, Duckett had thought all this was beyond him. In 2018 he had undergone a pre-season hand operation, but a foolish return for Northamptonshire – four weeks ahead of schedule – almost irreparably changed his batting grip. That was eventually remedied in the 2020-21 winter with the help of his Nottinghamshire head coach Peter Moores and assistant Ant Botha. By then, he assumed he had fallen out of the England loop.A penchant for a good time earned him a reputation as unprofessional, especially after a couple of notable missteps. In India, he accidentally threw up on Trevor Bayliss when hungover on a plane As a member of the Lions tour that ran parallel to the 2017/18 Ashes, he missed a tour match for pouring a drink over James Anderson . It was far from ideal (though in his defence, he didn’t start the former latter) but it seemed his card had been marked permanently for mistakes that most young twenty-somethings make.What we have seen over the last 15 months, and especially on the second day in Rajkot, is not simply maturity but a player who has grown while retaining his youthful flair. It is a hell of a combination, and one that does not happen – or can be maintained – by accident. The ability to keep striking boundaries across 35 overs after spending 130.5 in the dirt, during which he often conversed with Stokes on tactics, was a remarkable blend of attacking zeal and aerobic fitness. As of now, Duckett has been on the field for every moment of the first two days of this Test.Should he keep up that streak until tea, England might expect to have a lead. Even with Joe Root at the other end, desperate to arrest his slump, and with an equally hungry Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes to come, Duckett continuing this rampage is England’s best hope of keeping a win on the table. Few could have produced an innings like this, and fewer still have the capacity to do it all over again on day three, and turn it into a truly once-in-a-lifetime event.