England vs India 2014 - 3rd Test: Sunil Gavaskar dismisses chances of an Indian victory at Southampton
Former Indian cricketer and ex-BCCI President Sunil Gavaskar has stated that it is not possible for India to win the Southampton Test.
England racked up 569-7 before declaring in their first innings on a flat pitch. India went in with 4 bowlers and the strategy seemed to work against them. With Ishant Sharma injured, they played Pankaj Singh in this match, however, he was unlucky and could not manage to pick up a single wicket. India are on the back foot now, having lost one wicket for 25 runs in their first innings. Gavaskar believes that India should forget about winning and focus on ensuring that the match is drawn.
He said, “India can't win this Test for sure. England have scored 569/7 and for India to get anywhere near that, they would have to bat for a day and a half. It would mean that we will be going into Day 4. It is not very easy for India to pull off a win unless there is a sensational collapse somewhere. England certainly have the upper hand and they will keep the pressure on the Indians and the ball will keep moving because the forecast for next two days are overcast conditions. So it's not going to be easy for the batsmen.”
The Mumbaikar also praised Jos Buttler, who played a superb innings of 85 from just 83 balls, ensuring that England scored quickly. This allowed them to declare their innings and have a go at the Indian batsmen for 14 overs on day 2.
“England were also helped by the fact that Jos Butler was so aggressive. If he hadn't been so aggressive, they would not have been able to declare at the time they did. The Indian bowlers look tired. Yesterday was a hot day and today was tough. I don't think a lot of the bowlers are used to bowling long spells, except maybe Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Pankaj Singh is playing in a big match, but he worked very hard. He was unlucky not to get a wicket. Shami has looked just a bit jaded, so India will have to look at that aspect when they pick the side for the fourth Test. But I won't blame the bowlers because it is a good wicket to bat on,” the Indian cricketing great added.