While India is in a great position, some fans and experts believe Shubman Gill delayed too long to declare in the second innings. However, bowling coach Morne Morkel noted that India wanted to get themselves into a comfortable position by getting enough runs on the board because the surface was free of demons and the weather was out of their control. He disclosed that India’s goal was to pick up two-three wickets before the end of the day’s play, which they accomplished.
India is in a great position to win their first Test match at Edgbaston, Birmingham, after dominating the opening four days of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy’s second Test in England. Ben Stokes’ side were given an unlikely goal of 608 runs to chase down in the fourth innings after India declared at 427/6 in the closing session of Day 4. The Three Lions lost three wickets and scored 72 runs in their 16-over batting session before Stumps.
“That’s a valid question. We did discuss it a lot throughout the day. However, I believe we can see that it remains a good wicket. Even our guys were batting comfortably towards the finish, scoring 4 or 5 runs every over. With you having an extra day, you can’t truly influence the weather. It was about getting us into a comfortable position with the bat, and then, obviously, tonight, having 20-plus overs at them and hopefully gloomy grey skies, and getting two or three wickets, which we did, which is a bonus for us,” Morkel said in a press conference at the end of play on Day 4.
“So sure, the first hour tomorrow morning is going to be essential. We saw this morning that, you know, if you got the ball in the proper area, there was a little bit of help, and yeah, we just need to be on point with that tomorrow,” he said.
Not worried about Bazball: Morne Morkel
Morkel was asked whether India were afraid of England’s Bazball tactics and their intention to chase down any target put in front of them. The former South African speedster refuted this, saying that if a team scores more than 500 runs on Day 5, they deserve to emerge victorious.
“Worried. No, not really. I think if a team scores 500+ on the final day, then they deserve to win. So, I think it was just a little bit more time. Ideally give an hour, a little bit more than an hour at them tonight, with Day 5 around the corner,” said Morkel.
India
