While the Indian batters put up a valiant display to script a fightback and salvage a draw in the penutimate Manchester Test, the bowling attack had looked clueless in the middle which saw England pile up a massive 669 runs in the only innings that batted.
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Melbourne Renegades Academy Won by 5 wickets
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During England’s batting as the Indian bowlers struggled to make inroads, Gill’s decision to not bring in Washington Sundar into the attack for the first 68 overs raised questions.
The debate gained more fuel when Sundar was eventually handed the ball and he struck twice in quick succession, dismissing Ollie Pope (77th over) and Harry Brook (81st over).
When quizzed about the same, skipper Shubman Gill revealed the reason for his decision in the pre-match conference on the eve of the final Test at The Oval.
Gill said, “It’s very difficult. When you are playing six bowlers, you know that one or two bowlers are definitely going to do under-bowled. In the last match, a lot of people felt that Washington could have come in earlier, which is a valid point. But sometimes when you are out in the middle.”
He added, “When there are two spinners bowling early in the innings, it’s very hard to maintain the ball and fast bowlers go out of the game for 8-10 overs because then you again need to maintain the ball. In hindsight, there would always be opinions and thoughts. But, you want to be able to make a decision that you think would be best for that moment.”
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India started the tour with a loss at Leeds before registering a thumping 336-run win at Edgbaston to level terms. Shubman Gill led from the front with twin centuries, including a double ton (269 and 161). The third game at Lord’s saw India lose a close contest by a narrow margin of 22 runs before putting up a spirited display at Manchester to keep the series alive.
With the scoreline tipped in favour of the hosts at 2-1, the young Indian skipper and his side has a task cut out of churning out a win in the final match in London in a bid to level the series and avoid series defeat.
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