"No chance of India losing this Test" - Inzamam-ul-Haq
Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq believes Team India are firmly in the driver's seat in the 4th Test against England at The Oval. He said on Monday that the hosts don't have the batting capability to chase 291 runs on a pitch that will favor spin and will prove to be quite difficult for any new batsman on Day 5.
Set a target of 368, England's openers were positive in their approach and put up 77 runs together on Sunday. The Indian pacers couldn't extract any swing and got minimal movement off the pitch with the new ball. Ravindra Jadeja, the lone spinner, didn't look at his best either and couldn't make use of the rough outside the left-hander's off-stump.
However, Inzamam-ul-Haq remarked that Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed were just 'managing' Jadeja's bowling and it was now only a matter of one wicket for England to come under pressure.
"The match has entered a quite interesting stage now. There's no chance of India losing this. If anyone is thinking that England has got a 70-80 run opening partnership so they'll chase it down... in my opinion, it's all about one wicket. The way it's spinning and the way Jadeja is bowling, every new batsman will find it difficult to play here. England deserve credit for their determination but 368 in the fourth innings is very difficult... I don't think this England batting can do that," Inzamam-ul-Haq said on his YouTube channel.
Inzaman-ul-Haq added:
"As the match progresses in the morning, as more and more Indian bowlers bowl, you'll see these cracks and rough patches widen. It will be difficult for the new batsman to get set here. The openers only played out the new ball, got set, and managed the spinner."
Virat Kohli has often said he and his team approach every game to win and not draw. It'll be interesting to see if he sticks by the same on Monday.
On the other hand, England's approach is anybody's guess. They bat till No. 10 and have the opportunity to go for glory, perhaps by taking cue from India's win at the Gabba last year. However, they were in a similar situation against New Zealand in June but opted for a mundane draw.
England won't even plan to chase the target, India will put pressure: Inzamam-ul-Haq
Inzamam-ul-Haq predicted that Joe Root and Co. will once again be defensive in their approach upfront and lose wickets. He said England's "only chance" is to counterattack, and if they fail to do so, India and Kohli will be all over them.
"England won't even plan to chase 290 runs. They will go for defense and blocks and will give away their wickets. England only have one chance here, which is to put India under pressure by scoring runs. As time decreases, Virat will put more pressure on them. If England don't go on a runs spree, you'll see 5-6 fielders surrounding the batsmen," Inzamam-ul-Haq stated.
The final day will no doubt be riveting. Live action will start at 3:30 PM IST at The Oval.