'India’s bowling lacked consistency': Parthiv Patel wants bowlers to step-up for series finale

New Delhi, July 29 Former India wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel feels that Indian bowlers need to bowl consistently in the fifth and final Test of the Tendulkar-Anderson trophy at the Oval following a disappointing performance in Manchester.

Indian batters specifically in the second innings, showed resilience and grit to secure a draw in the fourth Test at the Old Trafford. England are currently leading the five-match Test series 2-1, and the visiting side has the last option of levelling the series in London.

"Looking at the way India played this Test match, there’s not much I would change — but if you ask what could have been done better, I’d say the phase on Day 2 when England batted. During that period, India’s bowling lacked consistency and was a bit wayward on both sides of the wicket. That’s where some correction was possible. Otherwise, this has been a very good Test match for India, especially considering how things unfolded after the toss.

"Almost everything seemed to go against India — when India went in to bat, the clouds were overhead; when England came out to bat, the sun was shining bright. Add to that England’s huge total of 669 runs, and you can see how tough it was. Still, the way India fought back, there’s a lot of confidence to take into the 5th Test," Patel said on JioHotstar.

Patel shared his thoughts on the handshake controversy and said that the match should have played till the last over of the day irrespective of centuries from Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar.

"England did things their own way. Their effort was clear - they wanted to bowl India out and win the game. But when they realized that wasn’t possible, they put their weapons down and acknowledged that India had played very well. At the same time, India did what they wanted to do in their own way — two players worked really hard, batted brilliantly, and both deserved to score centuries.

"The only question I have is this: if Ben Duckett had been batting on 90 in the same situation and the opposition offered a handshake, would England have accepted it? I am very curious to know this, especially with so many talking about the ‘spirit of the game.’

"In my opinion, the game should have continued till the end of the day, even if the Indian batters completed their centuries. If 15 overs were still left, India should have batted because they worked extremely hard. Before lunch on Day 4, when two wickets fell, it looked like India could lose the Test on Day 5. But from that point to batting through 143 overs is an incredible effort. So, I believe what India did was absolutely right — though personally, I feel they could have batted a bit more," he added.

The fifth Test of the series will be played at the Oval from Thursday.

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