“The way to combat [spin] would be to get really far forward or really far back and then using the sweep”

S Sudarshanan15-Dec-2023When you walk out of the DY Patil University campus, which houses the cricket stadium, in the evening onto the main road, there are two serpentine queues of auto rickshaws. The drivers throw two words for you to make a choice: “Nerul [or] Juinagar! Nerul [or] Juinagar!” Those are the nearest railway stations from the university.Not quite in the same tone but “footwork” and “intent” were the oft-repeated words in Nat Sciver-Brunt’s press conference on Friday.England were dismissed for 136 in reply to India’s 428 in the women’s Test match as offspinner Deepti Sharma picked up a five-for. They now trail by 478 after India finished the day at 186 for 6, not enforcing the follow-on.England knew what to expect in Indian conditions. But the practice pitches on the two days leading up to the Test were not turners. In fact, both captains felt the pitches were skiddy with Heather Knight in particular finding “spin easier to face [but] things will change”. On the first day, India amassed 410 for 7 at a run rate of 4.36.Related

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But England were tied down by India, who opted for a pace-spin combination to start with. And in the ten overs since Deepti’s introduction in the 26th, England lost 7 for 28.Sciver-Brunt, who made 59 off 70 balls, put England’s collapse down to the in-between lengths Deepti bowled. “Making the batters not sure whether to come forward or back,” she said when asked about why Deepti was so hard to deal with. “When you play spin well, [it is about] making good decisions going forward or back and not getting caught in the crease. She bowled lengths that were difficult to read, and she also attacked the stumps.”England’s batting line-up collapsed against Deepti Sharma and Sneh Rana•BCCIDanni Wyatt did not press fully forward and got an inside edge onto her pad that lobbed to short leg. Sophie Ecclestone went back to a delivery she should have been forward to – a fullish-length ball spinning in a bit. Lauren Bell played for turn and ended up being bowled on the outside edge.”There was inconsistent spin, and you were not sure what to set up for as a batter,” Sciver-Brunt said. “Covering both sides of the bat was the main challenge. It is obviously a Test-match wicket that was going to deteriorate at some point. Some good bowling and obviously not brilliant footwork. The bowlers are creating indecision in the way we go about things. The inconsistency of the pitch as well [played its part].”England’s frailties against spin came to the fore in their 2-1 T20I series defeat at home against Sri Lanka in September. They lost 18 out of 24 wickets to spin in those three matches, which prompted head coach Jon Lewis to bring a select group of batters to Mumbai for a spin-training camp. It was keeping in mind not just the India tour but the bigger picture – the T20 World Cup next year in Bangladesh and the ODI World Cup in 2025 in India.It would be unfair to expect positive results immediately but Sciver-Brunt offered a template for the rest of hear team-mates to follow. She was constantly on the attack, which is not to suggest she didn’t trust her defence. Against spinners, she scored 27 off 26 balls and hit six off her ten fours but faced 17 dots, too. Of those 27 runs, she scored 18 on the leg side and laid a blueprint that she hoped the other batters could follow in the second innings.”I would speak in the change room a little bit about the surface,” she said, “and about the intent to score and the areas. The bounce from the seamers is not very high and so looking to score down the ground as much as we can will be important. The pitch deteriorated a little bit and some not-so-good footwork in the end.”When you come to India to play, you are expecting a slightly slower surface that takes turn, and face experienced spinners. The way to combat that would be to get really far forward or really far back and then using my sweep the best I can. That’s the plan.”We know when India get on a roll with the wickets, they can create a noise around that. Just try to ride that pressure and wave as a batter is the method that I will be using. Ideally, you don’t want to lose wickets in clusters.”For England’s batting train to get back on track, there is no choice but to follow the Sciver-Brunt advice of showing more intent and being assured in their footwork.