‘Bazball’ is all about being fearless and attempting the impossible. It is no surprise then that England will go all out to chase the stiff 399-run target in the ongoing second Test against India. But what was more stunning was James Anderson’s bold assertion that they are aiming to do it in “60 or 70” overs.
According to Anderson, India themselves weren’t sure how many they needed to set as a target.
At stumps on Day III, the Bazballers knocked over 67 of those 399 runs in only 14 overs with Ben Duckett the lone man out so far to the extra bounce Ravichandran Ashwin had extracted.
With two more days to go, it’s still quite tough for England to get those remaining runs, especially on a tired wicket with the odd ball keeping very low. But England are adamant, they will go for it and not be defensive.
“I think the nerves were there to see today (Sunday). The way they batted, I think they didn’t know how many was enough (to set a target). They were quite cautious even when they had a big lead.
“The chat last night (Saturday) from the coach (Brendon McCullum) was that if they get 600, we were going to go for it.
“It makes it very clear to everyone that we will try to do it tomorrow (Monday, Day IV). I know there are 180 overs left in the game, but we’ll try to do it in 60 or 70,” the 41-year-old Anderson, with a match-haul of five wickets for 76 runs and taking his tally of Test scalps to 695, said at the news conference on Sunday.
“We have set our stall out and tomorrow (Monday) will be no different. Whether we win or lose, it doesn’t matter because we want to play in a certain way.”
Root injury
Joe Root, England’s batting mainstay, sustained an external blow on his right little finger while fielding in the slips when Shreyas Iyer edged one off Anderson early on Day III . Root didn’t take the field thereafter, but England hope he will be available to to bat if required.
“He took a knock on it this morning in practice. He then took one in the field as well. It’s just about making sure it’s as good as possible (to bat) for tomorrow (Monday). There’s a chance we’ll need him with the bat, so it’s making sure he can hold a bat,” Anderson said.
