Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja has said that England will find it difficult to bounce back in the series after their defeat to India at Lord’s in the second Test. India beat England by a huge 151 runs as well.
“Even if this Test was drawn with the hosts 7-8 wickets down, it would have been a moral victory for India. But following this defeat, it will be very difficult for England to stand up in the remaining Test matches,” Raja said on his Youtube channel. “They should have drawn this game, but India forced them into a corner with their aggression, and made life difficult for them. England did not play their natural game because of India’s exemplary bowling, and the innings became stagnant.”
However, England looked on the verge of winning after they dismissed Rishabh Pant early in the final day with India still about 20 runs away from taking their lead over the 200-run mark. But, Mohammed Shami scored his second Test half-century and alongside Jasprit Bumrah added an unbeaten 89-run stand for the ninth wicket. The partnership eventually changed the fate of the game after India declared it at 298/8.
READ HERE: Washington Sundar all set to miss second phase of IPL 2021
“India looked hungry to make an impossible situation possible. Shami’s counter-attack flattened England. The same fighting spirit was seen in India’s bowling as well. They sensed that England’s weak batting could be put under pressure,” Ramiz Raja said.
Meanwhile, former India captain turned famous commentator Sunil Gavaskar slammed Joe Root’s England after they faced a massive 151-run loss at Lord’s on Monday. Gavaskar said that they are a “two-man team” who are over-dependent on the captain Joe Root and veteran pacer James Anderson.
READ HERE: Suryakumar Yadav refers to Prithvi Shaw as a showstopper
He further added that the rest of the lineup has an ‘awful’ approach – be it openers or the inconsistent duo of Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler as well. Sunil Gavaskar shared on Sony Sports Network on Monday: “England is a two-man team. It’s just Joe Root and Jimmy Anderson. With the greatest of respect to all who are playing there, it doesn’t look like a proper Test team… Their technique is awful. The technique of their opening batsmen is ludicrous.”
He further added: “Their no.3 batsman Haseeb Hameed is nervous and tentative. So, we look up to Joe Root. Jonny Bairstow, yes if he gets going or otherwise it’s nothing. Buttler, he is a fine white-ball player. I’m not too sure he is there for red-ball cricket.”
