Mahendra Singh Dhoni pulled a rabbit out of his hat by tactfully remarking that he wants the ball to spin from the very first ball. England already suffering from the defeat in Ahmedabad was significantly affected. Their batting coach — famous captain — Graham Gooch highlighted this at a gathering the night before. He said captain Alastair Cook asked him how to tackle spin bowling.

Gooch’s answer was quite humorous: “From the other side as a non-striker.” So tactically, England was already dreaming of a crumbling track even before the first ball was bowled.