"I think Jasprit Bumrah missed a trick there" - Wasim Jaffer on India's approach while defending 378 on Day 4 of 5th IND vs ENG Test
Former Indian opener Wasim Jaffer believes India have let Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow take the game away from them due to some questionable field placements.
The 44-year-old felt captain Jasprit Bumrah had set fielders quite deep, which allowed the two batters to rotate the strike without much pressure.
After a 107-run opening stand, India reduced England to 109/3 thanks to Bumrah's outburst and were favorites to run through the England batting line-up. However, Root and Bairstow not only kept the visitors at bay but also scored at a quick rate.
Defensive field sets with easy singles, wayward lines and lengths. Reliving dark days of 2011.
Wasim Jaffer feels Bumrah could have perhaps challenged the duo by bringing the fielders in and asking them to hit risky shots. Speaking to ESPNCricinfo after the end of Day 4, here's what Jaffer had to say about India's bowling performance:
"He (Bairstow) doesn't mind hitting over the top when fielders are brought in and takes singles on almost every ball when the field is spread out. There was only one catching option in slip and strike was easily rotated without any pressure."
He added:
"So I think Jasprit Bumrah missed a trick there because he could have challenged them later on by bringing the fielders in. If India don't get 2-3 early wickets on Day 5, it will be really difficult for them."
Root ended the day on 76 off 112 balls while Bairstow raced to 72 off just 87 deliveries, with the two putting on an unbeaten 150-run partnership.
India have never lost a Test match after setting 350+ target.
England's highest successful run chase in Tests is 359.
- A historic day for both the team with the Trophy on line.
"Expected a bit more from Shreyas Iyer, Shardul Thakur and also others" - Wasim Jaffer
Wasim Jaffer also feels India could have batted a bit longer and added a few more runs to ensure the target became psychologically challenging for England. The visitors lost seven wickets for just 120 runs on Day 4 and failed to take the lead past the 400-run mark.
On this, Jaffer stated:
"After all the good work that India did for the first three days, they messed it up a bit on Day 4. I think England won all three sessions. There was a lot of time left to play, so I think they could have scored 50 runs more."
Wasim Jaffer added:
"A target of more than 400 could have given India a psychological edge. Expected a bit more from Shreyas Iyer, Shardul Thakur and also others."
India will probably need to strike at least twice in the opening hour to trigger an English batting collapse, with the hosts looking poised to secure a famous win.