“Had India lost a couple of more wickets, things could have been different” - Zaheer Khan praises Ben Stokes for brilliant spell
Former India pacer Zaheer Khan praised England captain Ben Stokes for bowling a fantastic spell on Day 3 of the Birmingham Test against India on Sunday (July 3). He stated that, with a bit of luck, Stokes could have put India under pressure with some wickets.
Stokes ran in hard and bowled a brute of a delivery to Virat Kohli (20), which the struggling Indian batter could only glove behind the wickets. Cheteshwar Pujara (50*) and Rishabh Pant (30*), however, survived a testing period to take India to stumps at 125 for three.
With a lead of 257 runs and seven wickets in hand, India are in a dominant position in the Birmingham Test. According to Zaheer, things could have been a bit different had Stokes struck a few more blows. He told Cricbuzz:
“The last session of play was very exciting. Ben Stokes bowled a brilliant spell and it was not easy to bat against him. Had India lost a couple of more wickets, things could have been different and there could have been greater pressure on them.
"However, they survived and the way they are playing, India should be able to add another 150 and put England under greater pressure.”
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Stokes bowled seven overs in India's second innings on Sunday and registered figures of one for 22.
“Batting in the last session of Day 3 wasn’t that easy” - Zaheer Khan
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The #MenInBlue continued building their lead with #Pujara's 50* 🤝🏽
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Analyzing the third day's play in Birmingham, Zaheer opined that the pitch was already getting tougher to bat on. England will have their task cut out in the fourth innings, especially if India can stretch their lead past 350. He commented:
“Batting in the last session of Day 3 wasn’t that easy. The pitch was a bit up and down. It wasn’t as easy as we thought it would be. England have to bat on the same surface.
"It won’t be easy for them as well. As it is, it’s never easy to bat in the fourth innings of a Test. As India’s lead crosses 300 and, maybe 350, they will start feeling comfortable. If they take a lead of 400, they can drive the game from there.”
India bowled out England for 284 in the first innings and gained a lead of 132 runs. Before Kohli, they lost Shubman Gill (four) and Hanuma Vihari (11) cheaply in the second innings. However, Pujara and Pant steadied the innings with an unbeaten 50-run stand.
Also Read: “If you get out to a good ball, you shouldn’t think too much” - Zaheer Khan analyzes Virat Kohli’s dismissal on Day 3 of Birmingham Test