Cricket is a great leveller, goes the cliche. We saw an evidence of that at Headingley on Wednesday, August 25. A week and a half after the triumph at Lord’s, India succumbed against the English seam attack. They were bowled out for a mere 78 on Day 1 of the third Test, on a surface that provided some early seam movement.
In reply, England finished the day on 120 for no loss. Haseeb Hameed and Rory Burns remained unbeaten after reaching respective half centuries.
With a lead of 42 runs and all 10 wickets still intact, England are in complete control of the match. Their next logical step would be to bat India out of this Test match. To add to India’s woes, on Day 2, the pitch and the overhead conditions will be completely in favour of the batting team.
India’s focus will be on minimising damage. They are almost out of the Test match – but not completely. In fact, they can take inspiration from the last Test match played here. In that Ashes fixture, England, after being bowled out for 67 in their first innings, ended up winning the Test match thanks to the heroics of Ben Stokes and Jack Leach.
Hence, the Indian bowlers should come out with a fresh mind on Thursday. The England batting line up is vulnerable, and India should take encouragement from the fact barring Joe Root, no one has managed to dominate them over two Test matches. If India can restrict England’s lead to 150 or so, they can still make a match out of it.
Betway fantasy tips
– Back Root to deliver again, especially since the openers have set the platform. The home crowd support will be extra motivation for him.
– The first hour of the day will be crucial. So, the scoring rate is expected to be on the slower side during this initial hour.
– Virat Kohli may gamble with Ravindra Jadeja early in the day. If there is any moisture on the pitch, Jadeja, with his accuracy is capable of exploiting it.