Day 4 is done and the third Test is still up for grabs. England needed 135 more runs to take the series 2-1. This Lord’s match has been eventful and the home team needs 6 more wickets to take the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2-1.
India finished Day 4 at 58/4. Chasing 193 is tough. Jofra Archer bounced out opener Yashasvi Jaiswal for a duck early on. After he was out, KL Rahul and Karun Nair tried to get going with some aggressive batting but Nair lost focus and was trapped in front by Brydon Carse after a bad shot at an inswinger.
The pressure mounted when Shubman Gill who looked shaky was also dismissed lbw by Carse. Nightwatchman Akash Deep held on for a bit but Ben Stokes got him out, ending the day well for England.
With India at 58/4, tomorrow should be exciting with Rishabh Pant and Rahul at the crease.
Former Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara thinks England has the upper hand. Speaking to Sky Sports, he said, England should feel better than India. From what I saw of India’s batting, they looked a bit nervous and too cautious.
Sangakkara said even with a long batting line up India struggled to score freely in their chase. He agreed with Washington Sundar that India was a bit careful. Sangakkara said, Washington Sundar told us they wanted to lose only one wicket but I think they should have gone for more runs, implying that India’s strategy was too defensive.
Despite India’s poor start Rishabh Pant’s aggressive style and Rahul’s steady play offers hope. Sangakkara said they can still win the game for India if they can get a good partnership.
Sangakkara said, If Rahul and Pant can add over 100 runs together India will be in control again. Pant will keep attacking; he can’t help it. If India does that England will be way ahead. India need to bat smartly. Rahul can hold the innings together but the others need to score runs.
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Pant’s aggressive batting will be key for India as his quick scoring can make a big difference. England will start Day 5 looking to finish the game with 6 wickets to go. They will look to bowl well and use the Lord’s pitch. Both teams know how big this match is. England can take a 2-1 lead with a win and India will fight to stay alive.
