LONDON– Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has urged the Indian bowling unit to maintain a disciplined line and length and build pressure from both ends if they hope to claw back into the fifth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at The Oval.
By lunch on Day 2, England had surged to 109/1 in just 16 overs, trailing India’s first-innings total by 115 runs. Zak Crawley remained unbeaten on 52, alongside Ollie Pope on 12. Crawley had earlier stitched a brisk 92-run opening stand with Ben Duckett, who smashed 43 off 18 balls, capitalizing on India’s wayward bowling that leaked 21 boundaries.
“The game has moved forward and India have been blown away,” Shastri said during the lunch broadcast on Sky Sports. “They lost four wickets for 20 runs, and then England scored so quickly. That’s alarming for India. They’ll need to regroup and focus on sticking to a consistent line and length. Build pressure from both ends—don’t try too many things.”
Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting also criticized India’s lack of aggressive bowling tactics. “I don’t think India bowled full enough with the new ball, and they didn’t use the short ball effectively either,” Ponting said. “Duckett and Crawley are good at disrupting length, and India haven’t pushed them back enough.”
Ponting emphasized that India failed to capitalize on the movement available off the pitch. “Given how much the ball has done, it’s disappointing they haven’t been able to exploit that,” he said.
He added that England’s aggressive, front-foot approach—hallmark of their recent style—was on full display. “They’ve scored at almost seven runs an over. England couldn’t have asked for a better start.” (Source: IANS)
