England will be stepping into the fourth day of the second Test match against India needing 332 runs to win in Visakhapatnam. On the other hand, the Rohit Sharma-led side will be aiming to take the remaining nine wickets and square the series. Given that England are chasing the big target of 399 batting in the last innings, India are in the driver’s seat. However, former England captain Kevin Pietersen feels that the host team must be worried about the Three Lions’ batting potential.
“How good was England today? Needed 10 wickets and got 10 wickets. Captaincy and team v v v good!” said Pietersen in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
“The Indian team going to bed this evening, will at the back of their minds, know, the wicket is still good & England will only try and win this game tomorrow. It’s going to be fun!” he added.
How good was England today?
Needed 10 wickets and got 10 wickets. Captaincy and team v v v good!The Indian team going to bed this evening, will at the back of their minds, know, the wicket is still good & England will only try and win this game tomorrow.
It’s going to be…
— Kevin Pietersen(@KP24) February 4, 2024
Shubman Gill struck form with a century as India left England a record victory target of 399 on Day 3 of the second Test on Sunday.
England, who lead the five-match series 1-0, reached 67-1 at stumps after opener Ben Duckett fell for 28 in Visakhapatnam.
Left-hander Duckett put on an attacking 50-run stand with fellow opener Zak Crawley, batting on 29, before Ravichandran Ashwin got him out for his 497th Test wicket.
Nightwatchman Rehan Ahmed, on nine, joined Crawley with England needing another 332 for victory.
The highest fourth-innings target successfully chased against India is England’s 378 at Edgbaston in 2022, and the most successful in India was when the hosts got 387 against England in 2008.
Spinners Tom Hartley and Ahmed combined to bowl out India for 255 after Gill’s 104 on a day of bowling and fielding brilliance.
(With PTI Inputs)
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