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Team India set a mammoth 608-run target for England in the second Test at Edgbaston, declaring late despite a big lead. Bowling coach Morne Morkel shared insights into the strategy behind the timing, which raised plenty of curiosity.
Shubman Gill-led Team India put themselves in the driver's seat on Day 4 of the ongoing second Test in the five-match series against England at Edgbaston in Birmingham on Saturday, July 5.
Team India declared their second innings at 427/7 in 83 overs, with Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar on 69 and 12, respectively, and handed a 608-run target for England to chase in their second innings batting. In response to the mammoth chase, the hosts succumbed early to scoreboard pressure as a fiery spell by Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep rattled their top order, dismissing Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, and Joe Root, reducing them to 50/3 in 10.1 overs.
At the end of Day 4, England posted a total of 72/3 after 16 overs, Ollie Pope and Harry Brook batting on 24 and 15, respectively, and needed 536 runs to win, with the pressure mounting and India firmly in control heading into the final day.
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India declared their second innings late despite a considerable lead
Amid India’s dominance on Day 4 of the Edgbaston Test, the major talking point from the day was Shubman Gill’s decision to delay the declaration despite a massive lead, sparking curiosity about their tactical approach and intent behind the timing.
After Shubman Gill completed his second century of the match, the visitors were 304/4 in 68 overs at the end of the second session, with the Indian skipper and Ravindra Jadeja batting on 100 and 25, respectively, and had a 484-run first-innings lead. However, the pair walked out to bat for the third session, surprising many as India continued to pile up runs instead of declaring immediately.
After Tea, Gill went bonkers against England's bowling attack as he smashed 61 off 32 balls, adding to his record-breaking innings of 161 off 162 balls, and took India past the 550-run first innings lead. Still, the visitors continued to bat even after Shubman Gill’s dismissal at 411/5 and a 581-run lead. Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar took India past a 600-run lead before Shubman Gill called them back as a sign of declaration of innings.
Team India took a massive first innings of 607 runs and set a mammoth target of 608 for England to chase in the remaining final session and an entire day to play on Day 5.
‘Getting ourselves into a comfortable position’
Speaking about India’s late declaration of their second innings, bowling coach Morne Morkel stated that there was discussion in the dressing about it, noting that the pitch was still good for batting. He added that India aimed to build a significant lead and use 20-25 overs late in the day to grab key wickets.
“We did speak about it [timing of declaration] a lot during the day. It's still a good wicket, even our boys were batting quite comfortably there towards the back end. They were batting at 4-5 runs an over," Morkel said at the press conference.
"You can't control the weather. It was about getting ourselves into a comfortable position and having 20-25 overs at them tonight to take a few wickets. We got that, which is a bonus for us," he added.
Meanwhile, Team India is on the verge of creating history at Edgbaston. The visitors have never won a Test match in their previous eight appearances at the venue since 1967, and now, they have the chance to script history, ending a 58-year Test winless streak at Edgbaston.
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