Varun Aaron, a former Indian cricketer, believes the Indian bowlers were overambitious on an Edgbaston track that did not help them during Day 3 of the ongoing five-match series between England and India. He believed that India’s overly aggressive bowling style allowed Harry Brook and Jamie Smith to seize control of the game, as the combination amassed a record 303 runs for the sixth wicket.
“I believe India permitted this counterpunch by the English hitters. What worked incredibly well for India last evening and this morning was bowling at the correct length.
But once India took Stokes’ wicket, they became a little too aggressive on a flat track,” Varun Aaron told JioHotstar.
Aaron also believed that the Indian bowling unit misused the short-ball strategy on a slow surface that forced them to bowl stump-to-stump more than anything else.
“Too many bouncers and short balls. On a slow wicket, where none of your bowlers routinely exceed 145 kph, you cannot afford to bowl so many short deliveries. Indian bowlers have the ability to keep it at the right length and keep hitting the stumps. Sustained pressure is what produces wickets. “You can’t always expect things to happen right away,” he explained.
India enjoyed a fantastic start to the morning when Mohammed Siraj dismissed Joe Root (22 off 46) and Ben Stokes (zero off one) in the second over of play. However, a great connection between Brook and Smith enabled England dig themselves out of the hole they were in. Their proactive batting kept the scoreboard moving and ensured that the Indians never got into a good rhythm with the ball after the early strikes.
The sixth-wicket stand came to a close after the pair had forged 303 runs as Akash Deep struck after the Tea break with a delivery which breached Brook’s bat after nipping back sharply off the deck. Brook departed for 158 off 234 deliveries.
India
