Ajit Agarkar: England batsmen will have to do better

However, the former fast bowler, who picked three wickets at the same Headingley ground in India’s innings and 46-run triumph in 2002, said that the hosts will struggle if they lose this match

Former India pacer Ajit Agarkar has backed England to bounce back against India in the third Test at Leeds, starting on Wednesday, but said it depends on how their batsmen counter India’s bowling attack. 

“If their [England] batsmen play well, they have a chance. They cannot bat like they did in the first two Tests and expect Joe Root [386 runs in the first two Tests] to get all the runs. They [England] are just 0-1 down and it’s a five-match series, so they obviously can make a comeback,” Agarkar told mid-day during a virtual media interaction on Monday. 

Defeat, not an option 

However, the former fast bowler, who picked three wickets at the same Headingley ground in India’s innings and 46-run triumph in 2002, said that the hosts will struggle if they lose this match. “If they [England] don’t make a comeback in this Test, I can’t see how they will win the last two. If they don’t win this one, I think India will win the series comfortably,” Agarkar remarked.

Agarkar rated offie Ravichandran Ashwin as India’s No. 1 spinner and felt it was unfortunate for him to miss the first two Tests. Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja, who was selected ahead of Ashwin, contributed with two crucial innings of 56 and 40 at Nottingham and Lord’s respectively, but went wicketless.

‘Jadeja’s selection justified’

“The team feels Jadeja is the better batsman that’s why he’s getting the nod over Ashwin. But in my opinion, there’s no question about who’s the better bowler. 

Ashwin’s the No. 1 spinner, especially in these conditions. Jadeja needs some help from the pitch. It’s unfortunate that Ashwin is missing out, but Jadeja did get runs, so his selection is justified. We are expecting some hot  weather in the UK, so Ashwin might be the only change if a spinner comes in while Ishant [Sharma] bowled well in the second Test, so Shardul [Thakur] might miss out,” explained Agarkar, who has 349 international wickets under his belt.

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