In a recent interview, English opener Zak Crawley expressed his confidence in England’s ability to pursue any target in the fourth innings, highlighting their aggressive playing style. Crawley’s remarks come after India took a 143-run lead in the second Test in Vizag, extending their overall lead to 171 runs at the end of Day 2, following England’s dismissal for 253 in their first innings.
Crawley Confident in Pursuing Fourth-innings Targets
Crawley draws on England’s remarkable comeback win in the series opener at Hyderabad, where they successfully chased a stiff target of 378 to draw the home series in 2022. The English opener emphasizes the team’s approach of taking the game session by session, which he believes gives them the best chance for success.
“We won’t get too far ahead of ourselves, focus on tomorrow morning first, focus on ourselves. That is what we did really well last week. If you look at the game as a whole, we looked at one session at a time, even less than that at times. We will do that again, and I think that gives us the best chance. We believe we can chase anything, and we’ve shown that before,” said Crawley, who was England’s top scorer in the first innings with a brilliant innings of 76 off 78 balls.
Zak Crawley Commends Jasprit Bumrah’s Bowling Brilliance
Crawley acknowledges the brilliance of Indian bowler Jasprit Bumrah, who made a significant impact with his exceptional bowling in the second Test. Despite the challenges posed by Bumrah, Crawley believes that the pitch in Vizag is better than the turner in Hyderabad, making it less tricky for England in the fourth innings.
“Bumrah bowled unbelievably well. It felt like a better wicket than last week batting on it at that point. There wasn’t as much turn. But you have to hold your hand up sometimes and say that’s a fantastic spell in these conditions.”, Crawley said.
“What makes Bumrah so special? Just that reverse. He’s got that pace, the change-ups, he can swing it both ways, but the reverse swing goes a lot later than normal swing. It’s just that little bit harder than normal swing. He was getting it to go a long way today and he bowled some cracking deliveries. Yeah, he mixes it up very well so we have to find ways to counteract that and we will strive to do that,” he further explained.
Crawley Praises India’s Yashavi Jaiswal for Memorable Double Hundred
Furthermore, Crawley appreciates the remarkable innings played by India’s opener Yashavi Jaiswal, who scored an impressive double-century while no other batsman in the team could even surpass the 40-run mark.
Crawley admires Jaiswal’s aggressive approach and acknowledges his exceptional knock, stating, “You don’t mind that. You can hold your hand up. We spoke about that in the dressing room yesterday. Sometimes it happens. Like Bumrah bowled well today, and Jaiswal played really well yesterday. You know, we’ve done that to sides before so we don’t mind someone coming out and playing like that.”
Zak Crawley’s confidence in England’s aggressive playing style and their ability to chase any target in the fourth innings reflects the team’s positive mindset. As the second Test against India continues, England remains determined to overcome the challenge and secure a crucial victory.
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