England need 350 runs on day five to win the first Test at Headingley. India, on the other hand, needs 10 wickets to register a historic win. The match is poised for a dramatic finish on the final day at Headingley.
The Test match has been played with good competitive mindset from both teams. Both teams have thrown punches at each other. The Indian batters scored heavily and confidently in the two innings that they batted.
The only major difference between the two sides has been the contribution from the lower-order. The likes of Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja and Shardul Thakur could not contribute much in both the innings as opposed to the England tailenders.
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We Are Seeing The Very Best Of Harry Brook: Nick Knight
With 350 to win, the England tailenders are expected to contribute massively to the team's cause in the second innings as well. Meanwhile, former England batter Nick Knight is looking forward to a different battle that is expected to determine the contest on day 5.
Knight heaped praises on Harry Brook who is second in the ICC Test rankings and expects Jasprit Bumrah to give him a tough fight on the final day of the first Test.
"I liked that first over or two (of Day 3), when he danced down to Jasprit Bumrah and said look, 'you may be No. 1 bowler in the world, but I'm pretty good too. I am No. 2 in the world, so this is going to be a good contest. I am not going to sit back here'," Knight said.
Knight lauded Brook for the way he batted on day 3 of the first Test taking the attack to the likes of Bumrah and Siraj. He was finally dismissed on 99 by Prasidh Krishna but by then had taken England close to India's total of 471 runs. Eventually, they finished on 465 just six short of India's total.
"We are seeing the very best of Harry Brook. When we watched him and admired his skills over the years, we often wondered about the strike rate at which he scores in Test match cricket. The audacious shots that he plays, the general approach. I felt generally, this is the more refined version of Harry Brook. I like what I see, playing the game situation very well. What I admired the most about Harry Brook is that he has read the game situation well and tried to develop partnerships. He has been pretty smart and astute," Knight added.
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India's Batting Collapse A Major Talking Point
India suffered a batting collapse in both innings of their first Test. In the first innings, they were bowled out for 471, after being 430/4 after Shubman Gill's dismissal. In the second innings, India lost their last six wickets for just 20 runs as they were bowled out for 364 runs. The inability of India's lower-order to contribute in both innings will be the talking point if India loses the first Test. This is something they should address moving forward in the series.
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