England remain favourites to win

It took England more than 500 balls to get a wicket and the credit for that must go to the youngster Virat Kohli and the Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Kohli has had a phenomenal year in one-day cricket and is a naturally aggressive batsman. What impressed me was the way he applied himself for the team’s sake and curbed his style accordingly. In the last couple of innings, we saw him play a few loose shots and get out, so this innings was a stand-out performance.

Dhoni has also not been in great form with the bat. He is a dangerous one-day batsman, but this innings will make him proud. As a captain, you need to take more responsibility especially when your team isn’t doing well, and Dhoni did just that. He came in to bat at number six and played a fine innings. It was a very disciplined effort by both the batsmen and it brought India back in the game.

What baffled me was the run-out. Was there a need for that run? Test hundreds do matter a lot and Dhoni missed out on one, and more importantly it would have been great for India’s sake had he carried on batting. The English bowlers denied him easy runs and he was kept in the 90s for long. So, the pressure was building and maybe that led to the attempt of that extra run but that was needless.

That sort of a partnership can have a demoralising effect on the opponent team. The England team looked sloppy on the field and their fitness was tested. They needed to raise the bar and post tea, they did just that and got rewarded. Graeme Swann picked up a couple of important wickets, Monty Panesar kept it really tight and it shows in his economy rate of 1.45 and James Anderson just keeps going and going.

Fitness matters

The difference between both the teams has been fitness, which I believe played a major role in England winning the Kolkata Test. The Dhoni run-out was a prime example. Nearing the end of a day’s play, the fielders tend to slow down, but Alistair Cook was alert and quick and that ensured the run-out.

England still are in a better position than India to win the game. They lead by 33 runs and need two wickets. With England 2-1 up in the series, they should now look to bat India out of this Test match. They have already ensured that India will have to bat last, and now they will look to bat the whole of fourth day and some part of the fifth day as well.

There seem to be no demons in the wicket and it looks good for them. England are in a position from where they can lose this Test match only themselves.