IND vs ENG 5th Test: ‘They’ll have to bat out of their skins’ – Ravi Shastri warns England ahead of record chase | Cricket News
Former India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has suggested that spin bowling could play a crucial role for India on day four of the fifth Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy Test at The Oval, as England chase 374 runs for victory. With England at 50/1 and needing 324 more runs to secure a 3-1 series win, India must take the remaining wickets to level the series at 2-2.The day’s play will resume after Zak Crawley was bowled by Mohammed Siraj on the final ball of day three.“India will have to do what they did in England’s first innings and bowl a lot of pace consistently – but I do think spin will play a part. Will it be a big part? It could be forced to if the fast bowlers don’t strike early on but ideally the pacers should take 60-70 per cent of the wickets,” Karthik said during Sky Sports’ broadcast.
“Seamers Deep and Siraj will have a big role to play. Deep gets the ball to seam away and looks like a guy that can get wickets – if he gets his length right and hits that eight-metre mark,” Karthik added.England has previously succeeded in major Test chases, including a 378-run chase against India at Edgbaston in 2022 and a 371-run pursuit in the series opener at Headingley.
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“The surface has a lot of grass on it so things will happen quicker so if England get even close here I think they will have done twice the job they did at Headingley. They will have to bat out of their skins,” former India head coach Ravi Shastri noted.If successful, this would be England’s second-highest Test run chase and a record at The Oval.“I remember the run chase in Leeds at the start of the series and thought England could do it. There is just something about this team. The bigger the challenge, the more they puff their chests out and entertain,” former Australia women’s cricketer Mel Jones commented.“Duckett has lost his opening partner, Crawley, who he feeds off but England have four Surrey guys in Pope, Smith, Overton and Atkinson. But do England have the mental capacity to do it again after such a long series? They may just be a fraction slower in reaction time,” Jones added.
