It will take a superhuman effort from England to come back in the series: Sunil Gavaskar

The second Test match between England and India turned out to be a thrilling one after India’s pace attack exuded immense flair to secure victory. The former India captain Sunil Gavaskar thus pointed out that to bounce back in the series, England will have to punch above their weights. The hosts had control over the game in most parts of the second Test but eventually had to face defeat.

Earlier, on the final day, India’s tail-enders Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami stitched an unbroken 89 runs partnership for the ninth wicket. And then with 60 overs left in the day, India defended the total to dominate the proceedings against the hosts. Gavaskar reckoned that India has dealt a psychological blow to England with the performance they put on show in the match.

“India have dealt a psychological blow to England and it will take a superhuman effort from the home team to come back in the series. Yes, cricket is a game of uncertainties and things can turn around quite dramatically but for that to happen it will take a miracle,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for The Telegraph India.

Their batting depends so much on Joe Root: Sunil Gavaskar

The top-order batting has been a concern for England lately. Their openers are unable to provide strong starts to the team and build on their innings into big scores. Skipper Joe Root has been the only stand-out player for the side, holding the fort for the team on most occasions. Root has scored 64, 109, 180 not out and 33 in the first two Test matches against India. Gavaskar asserted that England depends vastly on their captain and the team struggles once he is dismissed.

“At the start of the fifth day’s play, the general thinking was that England would win the game. But, on a last day pitch even 180 would have been tough as seen by the team being dismissed for 120 and losing by a big margin. Their batting depends so much on Root that if he doesn’t hold the innings together, then the innings comes apart at the seams,” Gavaskar added.

The Indian legend also stated that the hosts are missing the services of an impactful player like Ben Stokes. He feels that the all-rounder would have made a big difference with both the bat and the ball. About the series, the third Test will kick start on August 25 at Headingley.