Team India managed to eke out a heroic draw in the 4th Test vs England in Manchester last week. Heading into the fifth and final Test against England which begins at the Oval in London on Thursday, Shubman Gill’s Indian side have the chance to level the five-match series at 2-2.
However, there are certainly some major area of concerns for the visiting Indian side, especially when it comes to their bowling performance. After posting 358 runs in their first innings, the Indian bowlers conceded a massive 669 runs to the English batters.
The bowling performance especially on the second day was shocking as they allowed England openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett to race to 166 runs just after Tea by bowling wayward lines and lengths.
Speaking on ‘Match Centre Live’, JioHotstar expert Parthiv Patel reflected on India’s performance in the 4th Test. “Looking at the way India played this Test match, there’s not much I would change but if you ask what could have been done better, I’d say the phase on Day 2 when England batted. During that period, India’s bowling lacked consistency and was a bit wayward on both sides of the wicket. That’s where some correction was possible,” Patel said.
“Otherwise, this has been a very good Test match for India, especially considering how things unfolded after the toss. Almost everything seemed to go against India when India went in to bat, the clouds were overhead when England came out to bat, the sun was shining bright. Add to that England’s huge total of 669 runs, and you can see how tough it was. Still, the way India fought back, there’s a lot of confidence to take into the 5th Test,” the former India wicketkeeper added.
England’s efforts were clear: Parthiv Patel
Parthiv Patel shared his thoughts on the handshake controversy and India’s approach in the 4th Test as well. The Gujarat Titans assistant coach felt that Ben Stokes and his side had the clear aim to bundle out Team India to seal the series.
“England did things their own way. Their effort was clear they wanted to bowl India out and win the game. But when they realized that wasn’t possible, they put their weapons down and acknowledged that India had played very well. At the same time, India did what they wanted to do in their own way two players worked really hard, batted brilliantly, and both deserved to score centuries,” Patel felt.
‘Test match should have continued till end of Day 5’
Parthiv Patel didn’t agree with ‘spirit of cricket’ argument when it came to the ‘Handshake’ controversy on the second day.
“The only question I have is this: if Ben Duckett had been batting on 90 in the same situation and the opposition offered a handshake, would England have accepted it? I am very curious to know this, especially with so many talking about the ‘spirit of the game.’ In my opinion, the game should have continued till the end of the day, even if the Indian batters completed their centuries.
“If 15 overs were still left, India should have batted because they worked extremely hard. Before lunch on Day 4, when two wickets fell, it looked like India could lose the Test on Day 5. But from that point to batting through 143 overs is an incredible effort. So, I believe what India did was absolutely right though personally, I feel they could have batted a bit more,” Patel added.