India vs England: Keaton Jennings has brought hope and a breath of fresh air to Alastair Cook's tourists

Jennings, who made a brilliant 112 on his Test debut, played with a calm-headed purpose that helped the visitors hit the ground running in the fourth Test

Keaton Jennings acknowledges the crowds after reaching his ton (Reuters)

It says much about the deleterious effects of Test cricket, especially in India, when a rookie like Keaton Jennings can completely outplay his far more experienced team mates by bringing an untarnished mind to the fray.

Jennings, who made a brilliant 112 on his Test debut, had the advantage of being untainted by the two defeats in successive Tests that had gone before. As a result, he played with a calm-headed purpose that eluded most of England’s top order despite them taking a revivative mid-tour break in Dubai.

How much of Jennings’ attitude was due to the can-do mentality possessed by those raised in South Africa, and how much from avoiding the shambolic moments of England’s tour, will always be debatable. But whereas the narrative of others was dictated by what had gone before and from the coach’s urgings to be more positive, Jennings shaped his own story turning it, after a lucky break when he was dropped on nought, into a fantastical tale.

Keaton Jennings became the 19th Englishman to score a century on his debut (AP)

It will seem obvious to onlookers that England’s batsmen needed to be more proactive against India’s bowlers, especially their phalanx of spinners. Less obvious is the fact that Trevor Bayliss, England’s coach, had to tell them to do so.

Most cricketers like to be absolved of blame, so the coach’s directive would have been welcome, a licence to be positive. What is alarming though is that veteran campaigners like Alastair Cook and Joe Root, and others in the order, should be unable to filter that message and provide a proportionate response to it.

Cook was the most curious offender in that regard. An accumulator by nature, he appeared determined to be aggressive against India’s spinners however unnatural that will have felt to him. You could sense the discomfort, too, when he tried to launch Jayant Yadav’s off-spin over the infield, only to get too close to the ball and miscue it along the ground, albeit for four. Four years ago he made a big hundred in Mumbai and scarcely played a ball in the air.

Jennings in action at the crease during the first day of the fourth Test (Reuters)

Even more curious was that he should take such risks when England were on top. He’d won the toss, a distinct advantage at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai, where the red soil pitch tends to break up and turn, while Jennings, his 14th opening partner in Tests, was playing with rare fluency for a debutant.

Players should always strive to not be predictable but what Cook did next was completely out of character as he tried to launch Ravindra Jadeja’s third ball over cow corner. Cook has built an exceptional career on playing just three shots (the cut, the pull and the nudge off his hips), so to attempt something so risky was surprising, especially before he’d seen how much the ball might turn out of the foot marks. Less surprising was the fact that he got nowhere near it and was stumped by Parthiv Patel.

Root has a few more shots than Cook in his repertoire but his response to the coach’s instructions, to be aggressive, was more nuanced. Having given his wicket away unnecessarily earlier in the series, his was a cautious aggression. One shot under that umbrella is the punched drive through the covers, often against the spin. Root possesses superb footwork but for this shot his bat gets away from his body which raises the risk.

India's players celebrate following Alastair's Cook's dismissal (AP)

It did for him in the last Test, after Ajinkya Rahane took a spectacular reaction catch off Jadeja and it did for him in this Test too, though Virat Kohli almost spilled the chance after Ravichandran Ashwin had cleverly drawn Root into reaching for one not quite there for the drive.

Then came the curio that is Moeen Ali, with whom Jennings shared a 94-run partnership. One of life’s contrarians and a natural aggressor with the bat, Moeen decided occupation was the priority and he was right, especially as the pitch appeared to be wearing rapidly. The decision put his technique, not the soundest in the team, under scrutiny, but it was heartening to see a player think on his feet and adjust accordingly.

True to his nature, Moeen couldn’t deny himself the big shot for long. But after collecting a few boundaries with some after tea, he skied a sweep slog off Ashwin and was out for 50, revealing, once again, that there can be a very fine line between positive intent and a rash stroke.

Moeen Ali plays a shot during the first day of the fourth Test (Reuters)

Jennings followed two balls after, edging a stiff-legged prod to slip off Ashwin (a rare misstep), but not before he’d become England’s saviour. Just his composure - so redolent of Haseeb Hameed, who was in the crowd to watch him with what must have been conflicting emotions - was impressive enough, even before factoring in his consummate skills and decision-making.

It is that mature composure that is so precious, and therefore so elusive, for batsmen in Test cricket. Once Hameed was out of contention due to a fractured finger, much of the speculation was that England needed a right-handed replacement to counter Ashwin, who seems to dismiss left-handers for fun. But the selectors resisted that going instead for the left-handed Jennings with his right-minded attitude.

England are in a decent match position, providing their bowlers deliver, but that was due more to Jennings’ calmness borne of freshness, than the collective decision of the others to be more aggressive. That just seemed to cost them their wickets at inopportune moments - not usually a winning formula in India.