Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq believes that there is no chance of India losing the ongoing match on day five of the fourth Test at The Oval against England on Monday (September 6).
He further pointed out that the way the wicket at The Oval is spinning and Ravindra Jadeja is bowling, it is very difficult for the current England line-up to chase down the record target of 368 in the fourth innings against Team India on Monday.
On day 4 on Sunday, England was at 77 for no loss with Haseeb Hameed (43*) and Rory Burns (31*) in the middle, and the hosts still needs 291 runs more on day five to win the fourth Test against India and the legendary Pakistan batsman said the game has now entered a quite interesting stage at The Oval.
Inzamam said on his YouTube channel: “The match has entered a quite interesting stage now. There's no chance of India losing this. If anyone is thinking that England has got a 70-80 run opening partnership so they'll chase it down... in my opinion, it's all about one wicket.”
He continued, “The way it's spinning and the way Jadeja is bowling, every new batsman will find it difficult to play here. England deserves credit for their determination but 368 in the fourth innings is very difficult... I don't think this England batting can do that.
As the match progresses in the morning, as more and more Indian bowlers bowl, you'll see these cracks and rough patches widen. It will be difficult for the new batsman to get set here. The openers only played out the new ball, got set, and managed the spinner.”
Inzamam believes that England will once again go with a defensive approach and lose wickets on day five against India, saying the hosts have the only chance to counterattack, and if they fail, then aggressive Virat Kohli-led Indian cricket team will be all over them on the final day.
He concluded, “England won't even plan to chase 290 runs. They will go for defense and blocks and will give away their wickets. England only has one chance here, which is to put India under pressure by scoring runs. As time decreases, Virat will put more pressure on them. If England doesn't go on a runs spree, you'll see 5-6 fielders surrounding the batsmen.”
