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Key Points

Dinesh Karthik believes India should bat briefly to extend their lead before declaring. Shubman Gill’s century and Rishabh Pant’s quickfire 65 have put India in control. Mark Butcher criticizes India’s slowdown after Pant’s dismissal, calling it baffling. The pitch remains favorable for batting, raising questions about India’s cautious approach.

Key Points: Karthik Urges India to Set 500-530 Target vs England in 2nd Test

  • Karthik suggests India declare after 500-530 lead
  • Shubman Gill hits century as India dominate
  • Mark Butcher questions India's slow scoring rate
  • Rishabh Pant's aggressive 65 boosts India's momentum
2 min read

2nd Test: India should bat for 10-12 overs, get 500-530 and then put England in, says Karthik

Dinesh Karthik advises India to bat 10-12 overs, aim for 500-530 lead before declaring against England in the Edgbaston Test.

"Bat for 10-12 overs, get 500-530 and then put England in - Dinesh Karthik"

Birmingham, July 5

Former wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has suggested that India should bat for 10 to 12 overs and aim to get the lead between 500 and 530 runs before asking England to chase in the ongoing second Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy Test at Edgbaston.

At tea, India’s lead stood at 484 runs, with Shubman Gill making a masterly century - his third in four innings as captain, while Rishabh Pant smashed 65. "Bat for 10-12 overs, get as much as possible - 500, 530, whatever - and then put England in and try to get a couple of wickets before stumps," said Karthik on Sky Sports’ broadcast during tea interval.

Mark Butcher, the former England cricketer, opined India might bat for a little longer to ensure the hosts’ are well and truly batted out of the game. "India have lost a bit of a window but it is a legacy, a tribute, to the fear Stokes and England put into teams when setting fourth-innings targets."

"India want to make sure England are completely and utterly out of it and then you ask a team reticent to draw games whether they can do it. Can a team not renowned for defending and seeing out games do that? The conditions say you should be able to."

After Pant fell for a tempo increasing 65, Gill was joined by Ravindra Jadeja, who didn’t show much intent in batting and reached tea with a bizarre 25 not out off 68 balls against his name. The partnership between Gill and Jadeja for the fifth wicket was worth 68 off 130 balls at tea, something which Butcher found baffling.

"India could have given themselves more time to win the game by scoring faster. They did that while Pant was at the crease but not afterwards. Whether that turns out to be the right thing to do, we will find out tomorrow, but for now it is a little bit baffling."

"At one stage it looked they were racing towards 500-plus and now they have stalled. All that has done is take time away. This pitch is still unbelievably good for batting, if not for cricket," he concluded.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

S
Sarah B
As a neutral observer, I think India's approach was too cautious after Pant got out. Test cricket needs more aggressive declarations to make matches exciting!
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Ananya R
Shubman Gill is proving to be a revelation as captain! His century was classy as always. But Jadeja's slow batting was frustrating to watch yaar 😑
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Vikram M
England's 'Bazball' approach has clearly got into our team's head. We're overthinking the declaration when we should back our world-class bowlers to defend any total above 450.
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Michael C
Interesting tactical battle here. As an England fan, I'm relieved India didn't go for the kill. That slow partnership between Gill-Jadeja might give us a chance to save the match.
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Priya S
Why is everyone criticizing Jadeja? He was probably playing as per team strategy. Test cricket isn't just about hitting fours and sixes, sometimes you need to grind it out.
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Nikhil C
Respectfully disagree with Karthik here. With 2 days left and England's batting lineup, we should have batted till lunch tomorrow to completely remove any chance of a draw.

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