by If Jonny Bairstow plays the remainder of England’s series against India, the final Test at Dharamsala will be a celebration, achieving a feat that did not seem realistic a few years ago: the Yorkshireman will become the 17th Englishman to gain 100 caps test. .
Ben Stokes found himself in Rajkot, his way much simpler even if there were problems off the field. No one has questioned Stokes’ presence in England’s best XI for nearly a decade. For Bairstow, who started 12 years ago, it’s been a journey without question. Does he take the gloves or not? Where should he bat? Isn’t it Dan Lawrence’s turn now?
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And it also adds that, as we get closer to the big day, when tributes usually enter a storied résumé, Brendon McCullum is fielding questions from the press about Bairstow’s place in the lineup. The England boss – who averages 17 in the league – is understood to have said “we have to continue to give him confidence and block out a lot of the external noise”. Even if more low scores continue in the fourth Test in Ranchi, it was a surprise to see Bairstow left stranded on 99. This management group brings their boys back to the block, and they throw when the everything to remove the fear. and let loose. Alex Lees is the only specialist batsman to lose his place since McCullum and Stokes took over, and that’s after giving him a full summer.
So maybe a few gentle whispers from Baz and Ben, expanding a strange career, would be enough. The early years were when he was a youngster filling in for a full-time team, delivering scores of 95 and 54 against a South African attack at Lord’s in 2012 when Kevin Pietersen was on the bold stage. It wasn’t until 2016 that he brought up his first century, in Cape Town, and became a gloveman, scoring the most runs by a Test keeper in a calendar year. Then came his establishment as a limited-overs opener and the idea that it couldn’t be all; Success as a batsman at the top of the ODI order coincided with a downturn lower down in Test one. Ben Foakes and Jos Buttler threw their backs behind the stumps and Bairstow threw 2020 all out from the Test side.
But England’s selectors still couldn’t resist late-night “You up?” In India three years ago he was tasked to come in to unite and promptly shot three ducks in four innings. It looked like an end point until it was resurrected just months later against the same opposition in August 2021. Then came McCullum and Stokes two summers ago to nail the image of Bairstow’s white ball against the red. Ensconised at No 5, his captain ordered him to keep pumping the ball into the stands during their stunning 179-run partnership at Trent Bridge against New Zealand. Three more hundreds followed within a month, his work over that period of three Tests done by better than running a ball. After ten years, it all finally clicked. And then he broke a leg.
That famous golf accident prompted the sensational arrival of Harry Brook, the new kid’s output so ridiculous he couldn’t have been a mere householder when Bairstow returned from a winter of watching him. For both to succeed against Australia, Foakes – who did not do many wrongs – had to go, and Bairstow to be retained. One argument to be made is that this is another strong show of faith from the England management in Bairstow, backing him up like the year before. Another thing, which is stronger in hindsight, is that the added workload was probably not helpful for a player coming back from a potentially career-ending injury.
He has started the series consistently, staying on the leg side of the ball and hitting the sinker across his innings of 25 and 26 in Vizag. But everyone has a plan until they meet Jasprit Bumrah. The rush made him there; the spinners did it in Rajkot. Suddenly, the promise of a big score is a low average and a record for the most Test ducks against India.
Bairstow will be in the next Test and, if he knows the thoughts about his future, he may go all in on a first-man score, à la Colombo 2018. Even with his struggles in India, the opportunity is still there. because of its obvious resilience. To reach 100 Tests requires you to keep fighting back. He lost his spot under every regime before this one. He went more than three years without a ton (twice). I wondered if he would ever walk again after breaking his leg. He had to get used to constant contact with the gloves. Bairstow has continued when a few years ago the easy way out would have been to stick to the white ball. As it approaches its centenary, another return is in order.
