Former England skipper Michael Atherton was in full praises for Team India after registering a memorable victory in the Lord’s Test. He has said the Lord’s victory shows that if the rain hadn’t fallen in Nottingham, the scoreline would have been 2-0 after the first two Tests.
India came from behind to win the second Test against England at Lord’s by 151 runs. They were looking at a certain defeat after Rishabh Pant got out on day five at Lord’s but Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah fought hard to bring India back in the Test before eventually winning it.
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In Nottingham, India were needed to score 157 runs going into the final day with nine wickets in hand. However, persistent rain on day five prevented India from the chances of taking an early lead in the series.
“Although home sensibilities will focus, inevitably, on England’s final day performance on Monday, which was by far unintelligent (sic) and then limp, it was India who left an indelible impression,” Michael Atherton wrote in his column for the Telegraph
“The ferocity of their play, their will to win, and their skill to carry them through difficult moments, should have removed any doubts about how the Nottingham Test would have finished but for rain. To all intent and purposes, India should be 2-0 up,” he added.
Furthermore, Atherton admitted it is not the end of the world and England can still make a comeback in the three remaining Test matches in the series.
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“Over two matches, England have competed for long periods, and this without some serious cricketers – Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer and Chris Woakes absent for two Tests and Stuart Broad for one. They have the benefit of two of their greatest cricketers, in James Anderson and Joe Root, and in Test cricket, great players can make up a lot of ground for limitations elsewhere. All is not lost.
“In short term, given the injuries and lack of domestic first-class cricket to provide alternatives, there is not a great deal to be done. They will (and should) make an alteration at the top of the order, if only to reiterate the principle that performance matters,” the former batsman stated.
England brought back Dawid Malan in the squad for the third Test match, scheduled to be played in Leeds from August 25. He last played a Test match in 2018 against India in Birmingham.
