In a post-game press conference on the fourth day, Alex Lees, the England opener who was run out after scoring 56 in England’s second innings run chase, said: “Tomorrow morning (Tuesday), if we bat well for the first 30 to 40 minutes, we should be in a good position (to win the match). We simply have a lot of optimism.”
He stated: “The game was completely changed by (Ben) Stokes’ spell. The biggest turning point was during this morning’s (England) bowling.” In a stretch full of short-pitched bowlers, England skipper and all-rounder Stokes took four wickets for 33 runs, which paid off for the home team as Indian batsmen obliged with careless hooks.
Before the start of England’s second innings, Lees made the following observation on the mood in the England locker room: “From one to eleven, there is a firm conviction that we are capable of doing it. “My role was to apply some pressure to the Indian bowlers,” he continued.”
The visiting team could have performed better as a batting unit and eliminated England from the game, but they failed to do so, according to India’s batting coach Vikram Rathour.
“With the bat, our day was rather routine. The game was in our favour. We were in a position to eliminate England from the match, but we were unable to do so. Many players got off to good beginnings but failed to turn them into significant scores. It was anticipated that one of them would play a significant blow or form a significant alliance, but we were unable to. We as a batting team should have demonstrated better strategy, “During a press conference, Rathour added.
He continued, saying: “The game might still start tomorrow morning if two wickets fall. Muhammad Shami and Jasprit Bumrah are not beyond it.” He did acknowledge, though, that “We needed to bowl better, in better positions; a few dropped catches also made a difference.”
He believed Cheteshwar Pujara “did his all” as he reached a half-century before departing to an unusual uppish square cut.
“Pujara was instructed to open in the closing seconds of the test, and he did so. He displayed his temperament and attitude, and “Rathour threw in.
India saw a stunning turnaround, going from being in control to maybe losing the test. Their second innings ended with them being knocked out for 245. With Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow still undefeated at 76 and 72, respectively, and England at 259 for three, they needed to win by 378 runs.
