England have their task at hand as they are required to chase down 399 in the second Test at Hyderabad with two days remaining. India was able to post a total of 255 runs thanks to a fine century by Shubman Gill. This would be yet another record chase should it prove to be successful. James Anderson however revealed the intentions of the England camp to chase down the total
Speaking to TNT Sports at the end of the day’s play, the veteran pacer revealed what the head coach, Brendon McCullum had told the players. The former Kiwi international had told the group to go after the target regardless of the score that the hosts had put up on the board.
Anderson revealed, “We got sat down by the coach (Brendon McCullum) last night and he said, ‘If India gets 600 ahead, we’re going to try and chase it down’. And that’s exactly what we’re going to try and do.”
READ MORE: Shubman Gill Ton Helps India Set Record Target of 399; England Positive in Chase
England has found a new style of play under the Kiwi coach, McCullum and the leadership of Ben Stokes. They managed to outplay the Indian side to secure the victory in the first Test and the touring side will continue to play with intent and push for the win once again.
Speaking on their performance on Day 3 of the second Test, Anderson commented, “We stuck to our task really well today. They put on a partnership at one point but the way the spinners kept going, kept toiling, was brilliant. Now we’re in a great position and we’re going to give it a good crack tomorrow.”
READ MORE: Shubman Gill Rides His Luck for a Confidence-Boosting Century
England are already down by one wicket at the end of Day 3 with Ravichandran Ashwin weaving his magic once again and ending his dry spell in the Test. He managed to dismiss Ben Duckett, who was looking to go after the bowlers with aggressive shots. The spinner got the edge and thanks to a brilliant dive from the wicketkeeper, KS Bharat, India managed to finish the day off on a strong note.
With two days remaining in the Test, England has a good chance of winning the Test but their batting will be tested with the experience of Ravi Ashwin and the in-form Jasprit Bumrah who managed to take six wickets in the first innings. Kuldeep Yadav as well has proved to be a problem for the English batters who have been struggling to pick up on his variations.
Keeping the conditions in mind and the time left for the Test, the match is going to be a tightly fought contest. India will be aiming to get the win and level the series while England will aim to extend their lead in the series to add more pressure on the hosts who are yet to face a series defeat at home since 2012.
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