Manchester [UK], July 23 : Following the end of the first session of play at Manchester during the fourth Test, former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri called India's performance a "right mix between caution and aggression," while ex-England skipper Nasser Hussain opined that England would look at themselves as an "unlucky" side despite creating so many chances for a wicket.
Despite a few edges and misses, India managed to escape the first session of the fourth Test unscathed, with KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal pushing up the attack during the final few overs.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Shastri said that keeping in mind the "overcast conditions, some pace around, and England having experienced bowlers," India delivered a "proper session" of "world-class" cricket.
"The right mix between caution and aggression. They left a lot of balls and trusted their defence. Then, towards the end of the session, they began to up the ante. Rahul just does not look like getting out," he added.
On the other hand, Hussain lamented the number of chances England missed with the ball going past the outside edge, with Chris Woakes managing to make Jaiswal toil initially. He also said that Brydon Carse looked "slightly off colour."
"He (Carse) did not seem to have the rhythm and bowled a bit short. The one criticism was that if England had been a bit fuller and bowled on the drive, there was enough movement to bring slips and gully into play," he concluded.
At the end of the session's play, India was 78/0, with KL (40*) and Jaiswal (36*) unbeaten.
Stokes won the fourth consecutive toss and opted to bowl against India in the fourth Test at Old Trafford in Manchester on Wednesday. India, trailing by 1-2, needs to conjure a win to keep the series alive. A defeat would mark the beginning of Captain Shubman Gill's era. However, after winning by 22 runs at Lord's, England will try to build on their previous successes and take an insurmountable lead in the series.
England (Playing XI): Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes(c), Jamie Smith(w), Liam Dawson, Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer
India (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill(c), Rishabh Pant(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Anshul Kamboj.
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