Rahane’s advice ahead of 4th Test

Out of favour Indian batter Ajinkya Rahane reckons that India should add an extra bowler to their line-up for the IND vs ENG 4th Test. Shubman Gill and co. suffered a 22-run defeat at the hands of England at Lord’s despite putting up an all-round performance in the game. With the series currently posied in England’s favour, Rahane has advised India to make a change to their playing XI for the 4th Test in Mancester.

In a video on his YouTube channel, Rahane opined that India can only go on to win the IND vs ENG Test series if they managed to take 20 wickets. He suggested that since the batting was already strong, India look to add one more bowler to their line-up. India went ahead with a three-prong pace attack in the form of Bumrah, Siraj and Akash Deep, with Nitish Kumar Reddy serving as the 4th pacer. Jadeja and Washington Sundar were the spinners.

“But I felt India missed an opportunity to get that big score on the board in the first innings. And also, I feel going forward, India should look to add one extra bowler, because you’re going to win a Test match or a Test series by getting 20 wickets. Indian batting unit at the moment are batting really well. So the question is, do you want to have that extra batter or an extra bowler?,” Rahane said.

The former Indian captain noted that Karun Nairs dismissal in the 2nd innings was the turning point of the IND vs ENG 3rd Test at Lord’s. He applauded England for their bowling and the character they exhibited in the 2nd innings.

“At that point in time, India were cruising. 40-odd for one, but lbw of Karun Nair that changed the game for India and England. I thought England came back in the game really well and after that, they started bowling well, their intensity on the field, their fielders, the character which they showed was amazing,” Rahane added.