"That is an opportunity gone begging" - Aakash Chopra on India's batting performance on Day 4 vs England
Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra was disappointed with the way India batted on Day 4 of their ongoing Test against England at Edgbaston. The visitors could only add 120 more runs to their overnight score and were bundled out for 245.
Although the target of 378 is sizeable, Chopra reckons the visitors had a golden opportunity to bat England out of the Test match. Except for Cheteshwar Pujara (66) and Rishabh Pant (57), no other visiting batter made a significant contribution in the second innings.
Speaking in a video on his YouTube channel, here's what Aakash Chopra had to say about India's batting performance on Day 4:
"378 generally are a lot of runs. But if they are chased down, you would say that perhaps India could have batted longer to scored 475-500 runs, so many runs that England couldn't have reached there. So that is an opportunity gone begging. [Virat] Kohli and [Hanuma] Vihari haven't contributed in both innings."
This match is just a re-watch of the SA tests earlier this year. India being on top at some point in the game, then comes a batting collapse, and finally some toothless bowling at the end to see the opposition cruise to the target.
Aakash Chopra on Shreyas Iyer's dismissal
Despite having a sensational start to his Test career, it seems like Shreyas Iyer has been found out on the international stage due to his weakness against the short ball. The 27-year-old once again perished to the tactic on Day 4 and looked incredibly fidgety at the crease during his 19-run knock.
Aakash Chopra believes that if Iyer wants to become a successful Test batter, he needs to find a way to navigate past the short-ball barrage. The 44-year-old stated:
"Shreyas Iyer's problem against short ball has been spread quickly like forest fire. He has been dismissed that way in both innings of the Test. In Test cricket you simply can't hide your weakness against the bouncer."
Chopra added:
"In T20 and ODI cricket, it can still go under the radar. Shreyas Iyer's wicket was a huge moment in the game."
England are just 119 runs away from what could be another remarkable victory in their new era of Test cricket. They will begin Day 5 with Joe Root (76 batting) and Jonny Bairstow (72 batting) at the crease.