Stuart Broad expressed his excitement at England's strong performance on the second day of the ongoing fourth Test against India at the Jharkhand Cricket Association Stadium in Ranchi.
Broad said that England was well on top, as the young spinners Shoaib Bashir and Tom Hartley wreaked havoc on India’s batting line-up on a challenging pitch in Ranchi on Saturday, February 24.
Praising Bashir's consistent performance, Broad also questioned Team India's decision to rest World No. 1 Test bowler Jasprit Bumrah for the ongoing fourth Test.
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The hosts had a great start, but Joe Root's resilient century, his first in the series, along with valuable contributions from Ben Foakes and Ollie Robinson, allowed England to bounce back from a precarious position, as England went on to score 353 runs in their first innings against India.
Stuard Broad wrote on social media platform X: “England massively on top. Spinners bowling accurately, uneven bounce. Cracks. Bowler's dream. 350 looks 100 above par. Toss in this series seems crucial. Bat first, dominate the game. Bumrah ‘rested’ - can’t understand it. Eight overs in his last innings. Handed initiative back to England.”
Broad also questioned the pitch used for the match and said he was surprised India opted to move away from flat pitches, as pitches like the one in Ranchi bring the opposition into the game.
He wrote, “I mainly tweet about England- but looking at India. They’re an amazing team on flat Test pitches in India where their spinners skill comes into it & they out bowl other teams. Playing on pitches that roll along the floor brings in the opposition so much more. I can’t understand why they’ve prepared a pitch like this”
Notably, Bashir finished the second day with four wickets in 32 overs while conceding 84 runs. On the other hand, Hartley snared 2 wickets in 19 overs, with India at 219, trailing by 134 runs.
