IND vs ENG 2021: "Team India set a benchmark in the 1st Test and demonstrated the brand of cricket they are going to play" - Inzamam-ul-Haq
Former Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq opined that India played very well in the first Test and set a benchmark for themselves for the upcoming matches against England. He added that India had the upper hand going into Day 5 and would have won the Test if rain had not played spoilsport.
On his official YouTube channel, Inzamam reviewed the first Test between India and England in Nottingham. He said:
"According to me, it was not an ideal result for India. Analyzing the match situation going into Day 5, I thought India's chances of winning the match were 80%. Team India had already scored more than 50, and chasing a target of around 200 did not look that difficult for them. But rain intrusions are common in cricket. Team India has set a benchmark in the first Test and demonstrated the brand of cricket they are going to play in the series. "
"Especially their bowlers, Jasprit Bumrah took four in the first innings and five wickets in the second innings. So many bowlers are capable of scalping nine wickets in a match. But the way Bumrah bowled and the manner in which he set up dismissals of key England batsmen make him stand out from the rest. Overall, it was a very fantastic effort from Bumrah, and the rest of the bowlers supported him," the Pakistan legend added.
Team India will be happy with the contributions from the lower order in the first innings: Inzamam-ul-Haq
The legendary Pakistan batsman then discussed the importance of batting contributions from the lower-order, especially when the middle-order fails to score runs. Inzamam also observed that batting got a bit easier on Day 4. He said:
"From England's second innings, it was clear that batting got a bit easy. But Indian bowlers bowled well to restrict them to 303. If we look at the whole match, Team India would be happy with the contributions from the lower order in the first innings. The middle-order failed in the batting department, but the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja scored for the team. It is the new frame of mind in international cricket these days. Even the tailenders try to contribute to the innings until the end of the line-up."