England vs India, 5th Test: Will 250 be enough on this wicket?
India are looking to salvage some pride by winning the 5th Test and they got a shot in the arm with their first-day performance. Indian bowlers bowled with perseverance to get seven English wickets on the first day.
Wicket in the 5th Test is the best in the series so far for batting. Bowlers during the first session did not get much movement. In fact during the first session wicket was looking absolutely flat. Having said that, the Indian bowlers never allowed English batsmen to get away.
They kept the scoring rate under check. Their perseverance paid off and after getting Cook's wicket they were able to get two more wickets quickly, which turned the game on its head.
This wicket looks like a 350 wicket, anything below that will be under par and England doesn't look like going beyond 250, as three remaining wickets are not expected to put more than 50 on the board. Keeping England under 250 on this wicket will be a very good effort from India.
Indian batsmen will get the best conditions to bat in this Test and if they bat well they can get a good lead. If they can score around 350, it will be a great advantage for India. English batting is already struggling and it will be difficult for them to stage a comeback after conceding such a lead.
Now, the onus will be on the batsmen and they have to make the most of the best wicket of the series. If rest of the batsmen can provide good support to Kohli then India can put up a decent first innings total. A lead of anything above 100 will surely put India on top and make matters worse for already struggling and fragile English top order.