Former England all-rounder Ravi Bopara believes Indian batters have started to look “a little worried” about struggling with the short ball on English wickets after they were bowled out for 233 in the second ODI at Sofia Gardens in Cardiff on Thursday. Throughout India’s innings, most of the batting players struggled to play short balls and were dismissed as a result as England’s pacers combined to take nine wickets. “It’s like every time an Indian batsman falls to a short ball, a signal is sent to the dressing room and they worry about the short ball. “You get a lot of indifference in pace and bounce on English wickets. It just looks like India is a little worried about the short ball at the moment,” Bopara told Sky Sports during the mid-innings break.
Former England captain Eoin Morgan praised the hosts’ tactical discipline during the middle overs, which reduced India’s scoring rate and led to errors due to cross-hitting. “In the middle phase of the game, England were taking wickets and India’s batting was flowing.
“But England were more precise in the way they played in the second powerplay. They tempted India with cross-cuts, which stunted their rise and allowed England to exploit and create more opportunities,” he noted.
Morgan also expressed surprise at Virat Kohli’s dismissal for 65, calling it a rare mistake for a batsman known for turning half-centuries into match-winning hundreds. “We were all ready for Kohli to produce something special. We are all homeless now! He looked very determined, Virat Kohli was in the form of his life right from the start. He came out with great intention; his footwork was crisp and he made everything look easy.
“It was classic Kohli, picking up the ball even when the partnerships slowed down. For him to get out at 65 is an anomaly. We have seen how good he is throughout his career, making hundreds of starts. He usually capitalizes and punishes the opposition, but not today and that’s a credit to England.”
Another former England captain, Michael Atherton, highlighted how the inclusion of Gus Atkinson eased the pressure on captain Harry Brook and the team’s main man Jofra Archer. “England must pursue this goal with confidence. We’ll see if they can do it in the second half of this game, but the first half went very well.”
“Harry Brook was able to bowl Jofra Archer because he had more cover thanks to the extra seamer, with the big difference being Gus Atkinson. Atkinson changed the balance of the team and took the big wickets of Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer.”
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, former India wicketkeeper-batsman Deep Dasgupta lamented the collapse of the middle order which cost them around 30-40 runs, especially with six overs unused.
“The first innings was disappointing – some poor batting from India. Looking at the pitch, India will be looking to get some early wickets, get into the middle order and try to turn it into a game. I think they are 30 or 40 runs short. The way India batted, we were looking at 300. There is something for the bowlers on this surface, so who knows.”
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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