Former England cricketer David Lloyd feels that India are missing the duo of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the playing XI in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. He also believes that even one of them being in the team could have led to the outcome of the series being quite different.
Both Rohit and Kohli had announced their retirements from Test cricket ahead of the series against England, leaving the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) with no choice but to appoint a new captain in the format and try to find the duo's replacement for the England series. Their retirements also led to the Men in Blue entering a new era in red-ball cricket and it further saw many new youngsters getting picked in the squad.
“India have been very impressive over the series, but they haven’t won the main moments. If Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli were playing, I think the outcome would have been different. Certain players sniff out the main moments and are proactive rather than reactive. Ben Stokes is fabulous at that. India will be scratching their heads thinking how on earth they could lose this 3-1," Lloyd wrote in his column for the Daily Mail.
India on the cusp of series defeat
Despite having dominated for the majority of sessions in the series, India stand on the verge of losing the series as England require just 35 runs to win the match on the final day of Oval Test and still have four wickets on their side. It remains to be seen which side will come out on top on the much-anticipated Day 5.
Meanwhile, Lloyd also showed support towards Michael Vaughan's statement of stripping Ollie Pope off vice-captaincy and handing that role to Harry Brook, who scored a fantastic 91-ball ton against India on Day 4 at The Oval. Pope's form dwindled after his century in the first Test at Headingley and he wasn't able to play any impressive knock in the rest of his innings.
“Michael Vaughan said he would prefer Harry Brook as vice-captain, and I agree. Brook is assured of a place in this side and looks a leader. He would naturally feed off Stokes. The simple fact is that Ollie Pope’s place in this side is vulnerable. Take out the runs against Ireland and Zimbabwe and his return is very modest. His average in the fourth innings of a Test is 16.7, and for a number three, that is nowhere near enough," Lloyd wrote.
England batters Jamie Smith and Jamie Overton will resume the day for the hosts as they look to defeat India and seal the series once and for all. On the other hand, the visitors will have to put in a monumental effort with the ball if they want to win the fifth Test and deny the hosts from triumphing in the series.