The fourth day of England’s most recent Test match against India was a nightmare. Harry Brook and Jamie Smith were the only pair to make any significant stand, but they could not prevent England ending the day on 72-3. India has set an imposing target of 427-6. With a 536-run lead, they have left England in a near impossible position to chase down this daunting target.
Reigning champions India started the day by stamping their authority with the bat. Shubman Gill sent the stadium into raptures when he hit two big sixes off Joe Root on trot. Gill’s performance proved to be decisive. He ended the match with a mammoth 430 runs, becoming the first Indian to score most runs in a Test match. Despite his success at the crease, his knock represented India’s complete control during the match.
When England’s innings resumed Ollie Pope was quick to score runs, getting the ball square for multiple singles. Harry Brook, meanwhile, attempted to build a score by flicking the ball off his pads and narrowly avoiding a catch from Mohammed Siraj. Aside from a few flashes of encouragement from Brook and Smith, England’s batting order was a wasteland against the Indian bowlers.
Steven Finn, a former England fast bowler, provided analysis on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, highlighting how England had been thoroughly outplayed by India. Shastri didn’t mince his words with the broadcasters, saying India had made England look silly. This was most notable, other than the partnership between Harry Brook and Jamie Smith, when the wicket went flat. As a bowler myself, I always rewind and watch how India took every half chance with the new ball. When they had a chance to strike, they took full advantage.
The evening session proved to be particularly challenging for England, as they lost three crucial wickets: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, and Joe Root. Marcus Trescothick, England’s assistant coach, expressed hope that his team could bat as long as possible and form significant partnerships to stay competitive in the match. He remarked on the daunting target ahead: “Nothing is impossible but 536 is a lot of runs. After they sort of got over 550 this evening, it really does make it very difficult.”
Amidst these challenges, Michael Vaughan shared his thoughts on England’s middle order and their approach moving forward. He made it very clear that making it through those first 60 minutes with the new ball was key to having any hope of success. “If you want to win the big series against the likes of India at home in five matches and you want to go to Australia, I think it’s impossible to have a mindset that we just win, that’s all we go for,” Vaughan stated. Perhaps even more satisfying than last week’s home win — considering the circumstances — he added that it would be a positive result to manage a draw.
As day four came to a close, England were still 536 runs behind their target. They were now in an uphill task to save even a draw in this Test match. With a required run rate of 5.96 per over, the challenge before them is steep. The players will need to focus on building partnerships and capitalizing on scoring opportunities if they wish to avoid defeat.
Leave a Reply