Objective is to get early wickets and limit England’s total: Mhambrey

But I think it happens. We still need to be patient with lines and the right areas, and hope to get a wicket, an edge or something

On a riveting day of cricket, Ollie Pope stood tall for England to take the match to the fourth day at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Saturday. Pope reverse swept the spinners nonchalantly to keep the Indian bowlers at bay and gave the visitors a 126-run lead with four wickets in hand.

Pope’s aggressive approach

India bowling coach Paras Mhambrey was not surprised by Pope’s aggressive approach in England’s second innings. “Obviously, we knew prior to the series the way England have played over the last couple of years and the kind of approach they have to Test cricket. We were expecting them to come here with that aggression and play those kind of shots. But credit goes to them for playing those shots and sometimes you get away with them. Some of the shots Pope played were very brave and credit goes to him. Playing those shots can put the opposition under pressure. But yeah, good knock,’’ said Mhambrey.

Also Read: IND vs ENG 1st Test: Ollie Pope shines against India on Day 3

Paras Mhambrey. Pic/AFP

Obviously, the England batters had done their homework. As a result, the Indian spin trio of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel had difficulty in stopping the run flow. Mhambrey opined that it was a challenge to the bowlers, especially someone like Pope, who accessed the square leg area and the reverse sweep as well. “The credit must go to them. The England batters really played well. They attacked when it was really needed and sometimes it happens because someone like him [Pope], who plays these kind of shots consistently, does get the bowlers under pressure in terms of variations of the line. But I think it happens. We still need to be patient with lines and the right areas, and hope to get a wicket, an edge or something.’’

There is still something for the bowlers, felt Mhambrey. “If you look at the last session, there was still turn from the stump line. I don’t think it will change tomorrow either. The pitch is a bit on the slower side, easier to negotiate the turn. Still enough [turn] to keep the bowlers in.’’

In fact, the wicket has changed as the game progressed to the third day. “If you look at the way the game has progressed over the last few days from the first session to the amount of turn the ball has taken, it got better in the second innings. I think it is going to get a bit better on the slower side. There will be some turn but it is not the usual turn you see in the Indian sub-continental wickets when the game progresses—the sharp turn. There is little turn but not as challenging. First things first, we need to get them out as early as possible,” he said.

The bowling coach added that they are not looking at any particular target. “The objective is to come tomorrow morning, get early wickets and limit their total. We are not putting any pressure on ourselves by setting any target. We just want to bowl in the right areas to extract turn and bounce from the wicket and keep it that way.’’

Brilliant Bumrah

He signed off by saying Jasprit Bumrah, who has claimed two of the six English wickets, is a special bowler. “He was bowling very well and moving the ball both ways. That’s the quality he has. He is a special bowler and we have seen what he can do in overseas conditions. He has not played much [Test] cricket in India. Every time he turns up, he gives his best and in the dressing room the conversations he has, the energy he brings on to the field, he is part of the discussion when the captain and support staff are around, he’s right there. It’s pure skill,” Mhambrey said.

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