India lead England by 154 runs, with four wickets in hand, and the final day’s play at Lord’s promises exciting cricket. Given that England are likely to take the second new ball straightway in the morning, and India just have one recognised batter – Rishabh Pant – at the crease, the hosts clearly have the edge.
India do not want a repeat of the World Test Championship final. They will try to push their lead to around 200, so that the bowlers have at least something to bowl at.
With Ishant Sharma at the crease and the likes of Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj to follow, Pant needs to take the initiative here. Not only does he have to take most of the strike, he also has to look for as many scoring opportunities as possible.
On the other hand, the Indian tail needs to wag, as they did in Trent Bridge – not an easy task against the new ball and well-rested English fast bowlers.
For England, the primarily objective will be to keep Pant away from strike and attack the other batters. Expect Joe Root to spread the field whenever Pant gets on strike. The new ball, at times, can leak runs and the England will look to avoid that.
It will also be interesting to see James Anderson’s approach whenever Bumrah comes to bat.
The pitch still looks decent for batting. There have been instances of uneven bounce, but there has been nothing alarming. The weather is expected to be pleasant throughout the day with a bit of cloud cover.
Betway Fantasy Tips
– Back Pant to take India’s lead close to 200. He has batted with the tail before, and is capable of playing some unusual shots against which it is very hard to set a field.
– For England, Anderson and Ollie Robinson will start the proceedings of the day. You can back them finish off the tail within the first 10-12 overs with that second new ball.
– In the fourth innings India will use Ravindra Jadeja’s spin extensively. He can be an attacking option for Virat Kohli, if the ball starts to spin. Jadeja can bowl defensively as well.