Live Score
Cricket Teams
Cricket Players
Indian batsmen allowed England to get back into the match: Laxman
India vs England: Former India batsman VVS Laxman felt that the Indian batsmen were too tentative and lacked intent in their play.
The stage was set for the Indian batsmen to redeem themselves in this series and get a big score on the board on Day 2 of the fourth and final Test against England in Ahmedabad. But England's seam bowling duo of James Anderson and Ben Stokes put paid to those hopes with an inspired spell in the pre-lunch session.
With an in-form Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara at the crease, the hosts aimed to consolidate their position in the match after bowling England out cheaply on the first day. But left-arm spinner Jack Leach gave the visitors a crucial breakthrough as he sent back Pujara once again.
That brought Indian captain Virat Kohli to the middle, who was stunned by short delivery from Ben Stokes and was dismissed for duck. This was huge shot in the arm for the visitors, who were now into India's tentative middle order.
Vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane was the next man in and he stitched a promising 39-run stand with Rohit. Rahane looked fluent but edged one outside the off stump to the slips off Anderson right on the stroke of lunch and that allowed England to roar back into the contest and keep their hopes of drawing the series alive.
Former India batsman VVS Laxman felt that the Indian batsmen were too tentative and lacked intent in their play. This is what he thought was the reason England could bounce back in the first session of the fourth Test.
"Virat Kohli's wicket was the precious one. I think before that Pujara was very tentative. Kohli, you can sense that, was surprised by the extra bounce Stokes got from the wicket and then Ajinkya Rahane. He will be really disappointed because just outside the off stump and (he was) poking at the ball.
"Overall I thought that India was very tentative. Yes, Jimmy Anderson and Ben Stokes bowled well and they didn't give things easy, but sometimes if you look to play attacking shots, then the pressure will be back on the bowlers and I thought the Indian batsmen didn't show that intent and were bogged down by some good bowling....overall I think the Indian batsmen allowed England to get back into the match," Laxman said during the lunch-time show on host broadcaster Star Sports.
Rohit Sharma was eventually dismissed for 49 in the post-lunch session by Ben Stokes which further cemented England's chances of turning their fortunes around in the match.
