The hunch Ben Stokes had when watching Shoaib Bashir take his first tentative first-class steps last summer is proving to be more inspired by the day.

The England captain saw something he liked in that social media clip of the raw off-spinner bowling at one of the greats in Alastair Cook and quickly told Brendon McCullum and Rob Key of his discovery.

What a gut instinct that looked on Saturday when the boy with just six appearances and a modest record for Somerset behind him before this tour became a man here by bowling England towards what would be an extraordinary series-levelling victory over India.

The 20-year-old, remember, had taken just 10 expensive wickets when he was called up and described by managing director Key as potentially England’s next great spinner.

That looked anything but hyperbole on the second day of the fourth Test when Bashir ripped the heart out of India’s batting and, with the almost as inexperienced Tom Hartley, bowled England to a dominant position on an increasingly hazardous pitch.

Shoaib Bashir took four wickets to put England in control of the fourth Test against India

Shoaib Bashir took four wickets to put England in control of the fourth Test against India

England took a commanding lead of 134 at the end of day two in Ranchi thanks to his efforts

England took a commanding lead of 134 at the end of day two in Ranchi thanks to his efforts

First Joe Root extended his hundred to an unbeaten 122 and Ollie Robinson made his first Test half-century before England were bowled out for 353 having been 112 for five and almost out of the series at lunch on the first day.

Then Bashir took four for 84, hardly surprisingly the best figures of his fledgling career, as India struggled to cope with the uneven bounce and turn England’s newcomer extracted from the cracked surface from his height of 6ft 4in.

And with the equally tall Hartley, whose introduction was delayed by Stokes until the 32nd over, joining in the fun by taking two wickets of his own India, at 219 for seven by the close, are still 134 behind and faced with the perilous prospect of batting last.

It is no exaggeration to say no other England regime would have taken a punt on such an inexperienced spinner to take on the best players of slow bowling in world cricket in their own backyard.

No exaggeration, either, to say that no England captain other than Stokes would have shown such faith and confidence, not to mention provide expert handling, in so many young bowlers, particularly spinners, when introduced to the highest level.

Stokes had been upset when Bashir’s first tour with England got off to a false start when he had to return home from their Abu Dhabi training camp to sort out problems with his India visa because of his Pakistani heritage.

That controversy ruled him out of the first Test but Stokes had no hesitation in throwing Bashir into the second when he took four wickets and made a favourable impression in exalted company in the second game in Visakhapatnam.

Now, after being left out of the third when England went for a more balanced attack, Bashir was brought back to bowl on the kind of surface, exceptionally dry and full of craters, he would never have seen before in his mainly club and second team experience.

Joe Root extended his hundred to an unbeaten 122 and and Ollie Robinson made his first Test half-century

Joe Root extended his hundred to an unbeaten 122 and and Ollie Robinson made his first Test half-century

England had been almost out of the series by lunch on the first day with 112 for five but have bounced back gloriously

England had been almost out of the series by lunch on the first day with 112 for five but have bounced back gloriously

Those ultra-helpful conditions may have heaped expectations on Bashir but again he had the perfect captain to guide him in Stokes, who brought him on for the ninth over.

That came after a bowler at the other end of the experience scale in Jimmy Anderson had taken his 697th Test wicket to send back captain Rohit Sharma, nibbling at one that moved away outside off-stump.

There was immediate support and attacking fields for Bashir and how he responded even though Yashasvi Jaiswal did his best to put the newcomer off his stride by smashing him for his 23rd six of an exceptional series.

Bashir was not to be deterred, bowling unchanged in a 14 over spell between lunch and tea and taking three for five in a 41-ball spell to send back Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar and Ravindra Jadeja.

When Bashir forced one through the defences of Jaiswal, with the help of a bottom edge, during a spell of 31 overs broken only by the tea interval he had taken four wickets for the first time in any first-class innings.

And, to add perspective, had earned his first four-wicket haul against anyone in senior cricket bar Northants Second XI for Somerset twos towards the end of last summer.

Hartley had Sarfaraz Khan brilliantly caught by a diving Root at slip – what a difference a Test has made to him – and then had Ravichandran Ashwin to the third narrow lbw decision judged by technology to be umpire’s call in England’s favour of the innings.

That is a mode of dismissal, it should be remembered, Stokes called to be abolished after England were crushed in Rajkot but while the vicissitudes of DRS went with England this time they were on the wrong side of technology again when Jaiswal was on 40.

No other England regime would have taken a punt on Bashir but Ben Stokes' decision is looking more inspired by the day

No other England regime would have taken a punt on Bashir but Ben Stokes’ decision is looking more inspired by the day

The new star of India’s batting was troubled by the medium-pace of Robinson that rarely got above 75 miles per hour on his England return and edged him just in front of Zak Crawley at slip on one before then edging through low to Ben Foakes.

As usual with low catches the umpires abdicated responsibility and went upstairs where TV official Joel Wilson decreed the ball had not carried on foreshortened TV evidence. A side angle Wilson apparently did not see then appeared to show the ball had indeed carried.

Honestly, these decisions are so unsatisfactory the game would be better off going back to the umpires making the call with the evidence of their own eyes and the fielder’s word.

Dhruv Jurel and Kuldeep Yadav rallied with an unbeaten stand of 42 by the close but India remain a long way behind and England, thanks to the young spinner they plucked from obscurity, are very much in the driving seat.

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Post source: Daily mail

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