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The Indian team's batting coach Vikram Rathour was unhappy with India's batting against England, revealing that he was expecting at least one player to come up with a big knock in the second innings of the rescheduled fifth Test at Edgbaston in Birmingham.
The visitors scored 245 runs in their second innings, with Cheteshwar Pujara and Rishabh Pant scoring 66 and 57 respectively. India set a 378-run target for England, with Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow making easy work of the total.
"I'll agree we had a pretty ordinary day as far as batting is concerned," Rathour said in the press conference. "We were ahead in the game. We were in a position where we could have batted them out of the game. Unfortunately, it didn't happen. A lot of them got starts but really couldn't convert those starts. We were expecting one of them to play a big knock and have a big partnership, but unfortunately, it didn't happen."
England were a more aggressive side in the second innings, after a dismal show in the first innings of the match. Openers Alex Lees and Zak Crawley shared a 107-run opening partnership; Lees registered a fifty, and Crawley fell short by four runs as India's stand-in captain Jaspit Bumrah took his wicket.
Bumrah struck for a second time to remove Ollie Pope for a three-ball duck. However, England recovered in no time as former captain Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow saw off Day 4 with a solid unbeaten 150-run partnership for the fourth wicket.
When asked about India's bowling approach, Rathour said: "We need to bowl better in better areas. A couple of dropped chances so that made a difference. So that's it."
To recap, England are in pole position to snatch an important victory over India in the ongoing Test. The side needs just 119 runs, with in-form batters Jonny Bairstow (72) and Joe Root (76) standing strong at the crease. They will also be followed by the likes of skipper Ben Stokes and Sam Billings.
A loss for India will snatch a series victory from right under their noses. But, if rain does cause a major delay in the proceedings, then this might work in India's favour as England will then find it tough to score the 119 runs.
The ongoing Test is a continuation of the five-match Test series that kicked off in 2021. India has won two of the four matches, with the third match washed out by rain.
