"Virat Kohli and the bowlers need to sit down and make a really good plan" - Danish Kaneria
Former Pakistan leg-spinner Danish Kaneria was not impressed with the way India bowled in the final session of the fourth day at The Oval. The Indian bowling unit could not walk away with a wicket. They now have to bundle out the English team on the final day.
Kaneria noted that the bowlers kept on bowling straight without any reward. He added that skipper Virat Kohli needs to have a talk with the bowlers and come up with a plan to dismiss the English batsmen. While speaking on his YouTube channel, Kaneria said:
"Virat Kohli and the bowlers need to sit down and have a really good plan for bowling on Day 5 and take wickets. England have a strong batting unit. India can only win the match if they bowl in the right areas because the wicket is really good for batting now, the ball is coming onto the bat, but they need to contain. This match is the decider of the series."
India used four bowlers to play out the final session on Day 4 with Shardul Thakur being the only bowler who was not introduced into the attack. Ravindra Jadeja bowled the bulk of the overs but failed to deliver the breakthrough despite consistently probing the rough outside the off-stump of Rory Burns.
If India keeps on leaking runs like this, England is not far away from creating history: Danish Kaneria
Kaneria noted how if India continue to stick with their approach of bowling straight and conceding runs, they could face defeat. He recalled how England have already chased a mammoth target in the past, citing the iconic Leeds Test from 2019. Ben Stokes had scored a century then to propel England to an unlikely win.
While it is a huge target, the pitch is arguably the flattest in the entire series. Kaneria felt that India did not bowl in the right areas during the last session on Day 4 and thus ended wicketless. Kaneria added:
"This is a huge target for England. India did not bowl in the right areas in the final session. It was too straight and on the legs. Too much wayward bowling, especially by Siraj. If India keep on leaking runs like this, then England won't be far away from creating history. They have done it before against Australia."
England will walk out on Day 5 of the Test with all ten of their 10 wickets intact. Both opening batsmen warded off a burst by the Indian bowlers and have amassed 77 for the opening partnership already. They need another 291 runs win the match on the final day.