Day 5 of India’s third Test against England promises to be a mouth-watering affair at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground, with both teams looking to grab the lead in the five-match series. India need another 135 runs to win, but they only have six wickets.
After England were bowled out for 192 in their second innings, India faced a 193-run target, and many analysts predicted that the tourists would win. England, on the other hand, have performed admirably in terms of bowling and field placement, leading India to 58/4 at Stumps on Day 4.
While some balls have misbehaved, staying up and down, the surface has not been particularly problematic for batsmen who are willing to take a proactive approach. While this will boost India’s confidence, the fact that the ball is still relatively new should keep England intrigued.
Sanjay Manjrekar stated that India were the favourites at the end of Day 3, but the tables had changed in England’s favour coming into Day 5.
The former India batsman believes that if England has to bowl Shoaib Bashir, India will have a decent chance of winning the match. Manjrekar remarked that the young Indian batters will need to be in a good mental state to assist the visitors win.
“I firmly thought yesterday that India would not lose this match. England was the only conceivable loser in the event of a draw. However, I believe England are now the clear favourites. I’d estimate 70-30 in England’s favour, simply because the ball is still firm and new. We witnessed what happened in the early session when India bowled on that pitch. “This pitch reacts to the new ball,” Manjrekar stated during a meeting.
“If England are forced to go to Shoaib Bashir, it means India is winning the game. That will happen only if Pant and KL Rahul bat out of their skins. I only worry with one aspect. Because this young batting line-up has done so much of batting, the mental reserves of their batting has been tapped into so heavily, this effort is going to be a mental effort. The target is small, so there will be a huge temptation to take the additional risk. I just want India to grind away and get to the target,” the former batter concluded.
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