one wicket. That's why Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami managed almost two sessions on Sunday afternoon on tough, fast pitches in seaming conditions. It is easy to judge that as a failure when measured against New Zealand's inspired bowling performance in the morning, when India's middle order lost the plot, as well as seven wickets for just 71 runs.
But it will be highly critical of the Indian fast bowlers. The combination of grey, cloudy, cloudy weather with Duke balls is a delight for fast bowlers who can provide swing and seam. If done sensibly, as Kyle Jamieson showed this morning, it can be disastrous. Nevertheless, as tempting as the conditions in England may be, the bowler still has to pitch the ball at the right length and the batsman has to play.
And finding that length is easy but anything. Even New Zealand's fast pack found it tough on Saturday despite having the best bowling conditions in the match on a fresh pitch with plenty of moisture. While the credit goes to India's top order, which showed application and determination, New Zealand's fast bowlers, especially Tim Southee and Trent Boult, were inconsistent. But on the second morning, Jamieson found it mixed with proper length, pace and accuracy to snatch control of the match from India.
After watching New Zealand bowlers correcting their mistakes and their lengths, India would have been convinced that their experienced pacers would recover quickly on the first day of work. Yet there were some things in favor of the New Zealand batsmen. First, the Ageas Bowl was shining in the sun, a spell that began an hour before lunch when India's lower order was at the crease. Secondly, both Tom Latham and especially Devon Conway had returned to form during England's two-Test series, which culminated in the build-up to the World Test Championship final. So both the openers were adapted to the conditions.
In contrast, Ishant, Bumrah and Shami were bowling in England for the first time in Test cricket since the 2018 tour. All three were successful in that tour, but now they had to start all over again. Ishant and Bumrah, sharing the new ball, were pitching at lengths that the New Zealand openers found it easy to skip and negotiate.
According to ESPNcricinfo's ball-by-ball data, Latham and Conway's in-control percentage in Ishant and Bumrah's first spell was 90.32% and 80% respectively. Although he had scored just 17 runs after nine overs when Bumrah was replaced by Shami, the New Zealand opener looked calm and held on for a long time. Both Conway and Latham were happy to drop as many balls as they could.
India fans were getting restless. His enthusiasm was buoyed by the first spell of Shami, who bowled at high speed along that straight seam and caused some trouble for the batsmen. Still, both Conway and Latham's combined control percentage in Shami's first spell, which lasted six overs, was around 70%. But the absence of wickets in a match marred by inclement weather left some tough questions for the Indian camp as to whether they wanted to get a positive result.
One reason he did not show any frustration was that he kept a tight control on the run rate, which has remained almost two more overs in the entire match. Such a low scoring rate would usually accompany pundits and fans. But the WTC Finals has been an entertaining duel where the balance has shifted between the two teams.
After falling to Latham's R Ashwin, Ishant and Bumrah returned with renewed vigor and more blunt plans, which put pressure on Conway and Kane Williamson, who were forced to play the ball instead of going. Bumrah went over the wicket to attack Conway from an angle that made it difficult for the batsman to deal with and at times found himself in an awkward position with the ball hitting his feet. Against Williamson, Bumrah was in the midst of setting up a plan as he asked tricky questions by shaping the ball with the intention of bringing the ball back.
Ishant too had found a length where he could shape the ball away or to the batsman, who could no longer refuse to play the ball. With pressure building up from both ends, Conway failed the test, playing a fatal stroke off Ishant a few minutes before the end of the day.
India's bowlers as well as their think tank would agree that Sunday was a tough day. And it won't be a one-off. Similar days will follow for the rest of this long English summer, with a five-Test series against the home nation, and when India's fast bowling pack will be challenged in tough conditions.