'England favourites but only just': Michael Vaughan says hosts in control but Rishabh Pant can change that in morning

Michael Vaughan believes that England are favourites to win the second Test match at Lord's but if there is one man who can change that, it's Rishabh Pant.

With India leading by just 154 runs after finishing day 4 at 181/6, hosts England will, without a shred of a doubt, believe they are in a position to win. Rishabh Pant is the last recognized batsman left and with India's long tail ahead, Michael Vaughan believes that England are favourites to win but if there is one man who can change that, it's Pant.

'England favourites but only just': Michael Vaughan says hosts in control but Rishabh Pant can change that in morning (File)

Former England captain Vaughan took to Twitter on Sunday to express his views, saying the Indian wicketkeeper-batsman has the potential to tilt the match in his team's favour.

Even though Pant has only scored 76 runs in the first three innings, England would be well aware of Pant's past exploits. Be it against Australia on their turf or against England on Indian soil, Pant has played several match-winning knocks to become the side's first-choice wicketkeeper-batsman.

Meanwhile, at the end of the fourth day, India were 181/6 in the second innings with Rishabh Pant, their only batting hope, on 14. Mark Wood was the pick of the bowlers with 3/40, restricting India to a lead of 154. Moeen Ali chipped in by removing Rahane and then Ravindra Jadeja (3).

After leading England’s batting with an epic 180*, Joe Root pulled off some smart moves in the field to help England take control of the game within an hour of the start. While India’s main focus was on finding a way to negate the swing of James Anderson, the England captain stunned them by using Wood as a surprise weapon.

While Root has got back to back hundreds, Kohli is searching for his first century since November 2019, when he got 136 versus Bangladesh. In 2021, he averages 27.10 in seven Tests. The dip in form started from the New Zealand series early in 2020, when he averaged 19.33 in the three Tests he played.