Michael Vaughan, the former England captain reckons if India can bat out Day 3 of the Oval Test, they would be firm favorites to go 2-1 up in the five-match series. According to Michael Vaughan, it will be crucial for the visitors to see out the first hour, after which batting should get easy.
After conceding a 99-run lead in the first innings, India battled hard to reduce the deficit to 56 by stumps on Day 2. Their openers KL Rahul (22 not out) and Rohit Sharma (20 not out) batted defiantly as India ended the day on 43 for no loss.
Michael Vaughan: India Will Be Firm Favourites To Win The 4th Test Despite Conceding A 99 Runs Lead If They Bat Throughout Day 3
In an interaction on Cricbuzz, Michael Vaughan opined that India has a strong chance to end Day 3 in the ascendancy, provided they bat well.
Michael Vaughan said: “I think there will be another 270 runs scored on Day 3. If India can bat out out the day, then we start getting to the stage where they become favorites to win the Test match. That’s the big if – can they bat out the day? The first hour is always the key as the ball will do a little bit. We saw that on the first two mornings as well. If India can nullify that first hour, when there is a little bit more in the surface, India start to become favorites then.”
The former England skipper warned the Indian batters against chasing wide deliveries, which has been their undoing in the series.
Michael Vaughan added: “Bat all day – it’s a simple procedure that India now find themselves in. They have nullified the initial pressure zone with that start. Don’t go chasing the wide ones, don’t go chasing those big drives in the first hour. Play for your off stump and then make hay. The sun will shine eventually.”
Michael Vaughan: The Team That Gets The Individual Hundred Will Win The Game
Although England managed to gain a significant first-innings lead, according to Michael Vaughan it is not a lot considering the pitch is a very good one to bat on. He stated that if an Indian batter can score a hundred, the match will firmly be in their grasp.
Michael Vaughan explained : “I really feel that the way India have fought, from 120 for 7 to now be in this position, where they are only 56 runs behind… It is not a lot on a ground where you can score quite quickly. The team that gets the individual score to an individual hundred, that side will win the game. If an Indian can get a hundred, that will go a long way in them winning the game.”
KL Rahul is the only Indian batter to have scored a hundred for India in the series so far. Rohit Sharma and Indian captain Virat Kohli have hit two fifties each. Rohit Sharma is India’s second-highest run-scorer in the series thus far, with 261 runs to his name, only behind his opening partner KL Rahul(291 runs). However, he has looked the most comfortable amongst all the Indian batsmen in the middle.