A little over a week ago, most were agreed that India were on their way to being regarded as one of the great sides of Test cricket history, while England were a wreck.
How the crushing innings win by the home side at Headingley made a joke of those theories.
The two sides have headed to The Oval for the penultimate game of the series with the series poised at 1-1. Each have things the ponder before the start of play on Thursday.
Captaincy
Virat Kohli (37) has had more Test wins for India than anyone else. And Joe Root (27) – as of the triumph at Headingley – holds a similar record for England.
And yet each of them constantly feels like one defeat away from a crisis.
Lord’s was one of India’s finest ever successes, after which they were being lauded by many as an all-time great side.
An innings defeat later, and their captain’s hyper-aggressive method has found many critics.
Root has had a rare week to enjoy a triumph without hearing about the uselessness of his batting line up, brought about by the failings of English domestic cricket, with The Hundred being to root of all evil.
But give it a few days …
Virat Kohli
The fact Kohli remains without a Test century since November 2019 remains difficult to believe. Perhaps all the more stark, too, given the success of his opposite number this year.
Root’s sixth Test century of 2021, at Headingley, helped him up to No 1 in the world Test batting rankings. Kohli, in the meantime, has slipped down to sixth.
So, clearly one can cope with the burden of captaincy and the other cannot, right?
Hardly. Kohli averages over 56 as captain, compared to nearer 41 when not. And India have won 58 per cent of the games he has led in, opposed to 35 per cent of those he played in as one of the troops.
It is difficult to ascertain exactly what his problem is at the moment. But one thing does seem likely: if he does reach three-figures at The Oval, his celebration will be volcanic.
India’s bowling
Even though India posted their seventh lowest score in a Test innings at Headingley, and just a few months after their worst ever – against Australia in Adelaide in December – it is actually their bowling which will most likely need a refit for The Oval.
Prasidh Krishna has been promoted from the reserves – he was travelling with the squad, anyway – for the fourth Test.
The lanky Kolkata Knight Riders fast bowler would seem a like-for-like replacement for Ishant Sharma.
Although he made a valuable contribution to the victory push in the second Test, Ishant looked to be flagging at Headingley. It makes sense that he would be stood down for this game.
Juggling the quicks
Given the three final Tests of the series have just two three-day breaks between them, juggling fast bowling resources seems a necessity for both sides.
England have been well versed in that already this summer, given they have been denied the services of Jofra Archer, Stuart Broad, Ben Stokes, Ollie Stone, Chris Woakes and Mark Wood at various points.
At least Woakes and Wood are back in contention for The Oval. The latter missed out at Headingley because of a shoulder industry suffered while fielding in the previous game.
The former, by contrast, has been beset by a number of different problems of late. This time last week he was stepping up his recuperation by playing in a second team game for his county side, with a 16-year-old wicketkeeper from Dubai taking catches off his bowling.
South and West: From a Notebook
Joan Didion
Fourth Estate
ALRAWABI%20SCHOOL%20FOR%20GIRLS
%3Cp%3ECreator%3A%20Tima%20Shomali%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%C2%A0Tara%20Abboud%2C%C2%A0Kira%20Yaghnam%2C%20Tara%20Atalla%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
box
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Letstango.com
Started: June 2013
Founder: Alex Tchablakian
Based: Dubai
Industry: e-commerce
Initial investment: Dh10 million
Investors: Self-funded
Total customers: 300,000 unique customers every month
The five pillars of Islam
More on Quran memorisation:
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What is Folia?
Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal's new plant-based menu will launch at Four Seasons hotels in Dubai this November. A desire to cater to people looking for clean, healthy meals beyond green salad is what inspired Prince Khaled and American celebrity chef Matthew Kenney to create Folia. The word means "from the leaves" in Latin, and the exclusive menu offers fine plant-based cuisine across Four Seasons properties in Los Angeles, Bahrain and, soon, Dubai.
Kenney specialises in vegan cuisine and is the founder of Plant Food Wine and 20 other restaurants worldwide. "I’ve always appreciated Matthew’s work," says the Saudi royal. "He has a singular culinary talent and his approach to plant-based dining is prescient and unrivalled. I was a fan of his long before we established our professional relationship."
Folia first launched at The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in July 2018. It is available at the poolside Cabana Restaurant and for in-room dining across the property, as well as in its private event space. The food is vibrant and colourful, full of fresh dishes such as the hearts of palm ceviche with California fruit, vegetables and edible flowers; green hearb tacos filled with roasted squash and king oyster barbacoa; and a savoury coconut cream pie with macadamia crust.
In March 2019, the Folia menu reached Gulf shores, as it was introduced at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, where it is served at the Bay View Lounge. Next, on Tuesday, November 1 – also known as World Vegan Day – it will come to the UAE, to the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and the Four Seasons DIFC, both properties Prince Khaled has spent "considerable time at and love".
There are also plans to take Folia to several more locations throughout the Middle East and Europe.
While health-conscious diners will be attracted to the concept, Prince Khaled is careful to stress Folia is "not meant for a specific subset of customers. It is meant for everyone who wants a culinary experience without the negative impact that eating out so often comes with."
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Cologne v Hoffenheim (11.30pm)
Saturday
Hertha Berlin v RB Leipzig (6.30pm)
Schalke v Fortuna Dusseldof (6.30pm)
Mainz v Union Berlin (6.30pm)
Paderborn v Augsburg (6.30pm)
Bayern Munich v Borussia Dortmund (9.30pm)
Sunday
Borussia Monchengladbach v Werder Bremen (4.30pm)
Wolfsburg v Bayer Leverkusen (6.30pm)
SC Freiburg v Eintracht Frankfurt (9on)
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
