"You can kill me for that" - Aakash Chopra makes his predictions for Day 5 of the Lord's Test
Aakash Chopra has predicted that England will put it across India on Day 5 of the ongoing Lord's Test.
Team India enter the final day's play with a lead of 154 runs and just four wickets in hand. Their hopes of extending the lead rest with Rishabh Pant, who has just four pacers with limited batting abilities for support at the other end.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra opined that England will get the better of India on the final day. He reasoned:
"You can kill me for that, I am saying England to win. I feel England will win this encounter because the pitch has become slower but not deteriorated. An odd ball is staying low or climbing, it is not a variable bounce that might disturb you and it is not going to turn that much."
The cricketer-turned-commentator also feels that Team India will not last for more than twenty overs and might stretch the lead to around 190 at the most. Aakash Chopra elaborated:
"India will be all out in the first 20 overs. If we are all out inside twenty overs, what is the kind of score that you are looking at? 190 I think is where India will reach. If they go beyond that, the story will be different. India's chances of defending will increase significantly if it is a score over 200. But I think it might not be possible to reach there with the second new ball and the long tail that we have."
India seemed to be in a decent position when they reached a score of 155/3, with the set pair of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane at the crease. However, the quick dismissals of Pujara, Rahane and Ravindra Jadeja have put them behind the eight ball.
Aakash Chopra's other two predictions for the final day's play
Aakash Chopra feels James Anderson will take two of the four remaining Indian wickets. He observed:
"Anderson to take two wickets. Four are left and in that, I am saying Anderson will take two. New ball will come and he can cause trouble."
The 43-year-old reckons Jasprit Bumrah holds the key to India's prospects in the Test match. Aakash Chopra explained:
"When India comes to bowl, I feel Bumrah will take two or more wickets. I think Bumrah is going to play a key role in India's fortunes on Day 5. You should keep your eyes set on Jasprit Bumrah today because he is the one who can make things happen on this slowish surface."
Bumrah seemed to lack rhythm and went wicketless in England's first innings of the Lord's Test. He will hope to be back at his lethal best and help India in registering an unlikely win.