Leg and Off: Did India time their declaration too late on Day 4 of ENG vs IND 2025 2nd Test?

Team India batted the majority of Day 4 of the second Test against England, posting 427-6 in the second innings, batting out 83 overs, to post an imperious target of 608. Given that the highest run chase of all time in Tests is 414, and the fact that the bowling unit needed time to take wickets on a flat track, there was an argument made regarding the timing of the declaration.

Several felt that the visitors needlessly delayed their declaration, playing out crucial time unnecessarily. Ravindra Jadeja's questionable defensive approach coupled with the batters continuing to play wel after the Tea Break left the majority fuming.

Although India fought back with three crucial wickets to set the tempo for Day 5, several are still left unconvinced by the decision, labeling it as 'too defensive'.

"Worried. No, not really. I think if a team scores 500+ on the final day, then they deserve to win. So, I think it was just a little bit more time. Ideally give an hour, a little bit more than an hour at them tonight, with Day 5 around the corner," Team India bowling coach Morne Morkel said of the declaration after Stumps on Day 4 (via India Today).

On that note, let us look at the merits and the possible repercussions of Shubman Gill and co's declaration decision on Day 4 of the ENG vs IND 2025 2nd Test.

#1 India had to leave no stone unturned against Bazball chasing specialists

India's last two Tests against England away from home have ended in fourth innings heartbreak as Ben Stokes and co. have effortlessly chased down scores like 371 and 378. The horrifying aspect of the two losses was the fact that the hosts could have easily chased down much more, as they had 12 wickets still remaining across both those matches.

The conditions and the prowess combined made to seem like even 500 was just a par score. Now, with such similar conditions on offer, and no Jasprit Bumrah in the mix, and not much on offer for two spinners, the Men in Blue could be forgiven for thinking to stretch their lead while they had an opening. Why even give England hope when there is an opportunity to squash it altogether?

More so than the number of runs, it was also about exposing England at the worst time possible to bat. India made serious inroads on Day 2 after a tiring bunch of England batters had to play after the Tea Break. In this instance also, the visitors ran the hosts ragged once again by making them field 83 overs, and capitalised once again with the new ball against the batters who were not fresh in terms of their mindset and body language.

The key for declaration for the team was to find the right balance between having enough runs on the board, enough overs in the bank to allow bowlers to take all 10 wickets, and exposing England against the new ball in an uncomfortable setting, and the declaration midway through the third session arguably hit the sweet spot.

#2 Rishabh Pant's blitzkrieg and faith in pacers with new ball gave India the license to play on

Team India were scoring at a rate of 4.34 when Rishabh Pant arrived to bat in the 30th over after KL Rahul's dismissal. By the time the wicket-keeper got out, the run rate had exploded to 5.13 in the space of about 16 overs. The drastic change in gear potentially gifted India a boost of 20-30 runs atleast, and a cushion buffer of almost five overs.

The five overs proved to be handy towards the end when Shubman Gill and Ravidra Jadeja had ramped up the scoring, allowing them to cross the rare 600-run marker.

Furthermore, the way the pacers were able to pick up wickets with the new ball twice when batting conditions were near-optimal on Day 2 and Day 3, gave the team the confidence and license to play out a few more overs with the bat. They knew that the bowlers would back up the decision with their new-ball strikes.

Which is exactly what happened as the batters ensured to play enough overs to bring the bowlers in at the right time. Bowling to a jaded England top-order with much more favorable conditions, the new-ball bowlers made sure to pick up some wickets, wheich were crucial in denting England's remaining little confidence ahead of Day 5.

When India declared, they had given the bowlers close to 108 overs to clean up the England side. Had the bowlers not been promising in the first innings, that number may have been a bit more.

#3 The nagging weather factor has cost India in the past

Highlighted by Harry Brook at slip when Shubman Gill and co. were dragging their innings on, the weather forecast for Day 5 is not altogether positive.

“Declare on 450, it’s going to rain tomorrow!” the England batter had told Gill on Day 4.

Although the bowlers have 90 more overs to take seven more wickets, weather may not permit them bowl all those overs. After three days of weather dominated by sunshine, Day 4 saw a largely intact clod cover, marking ominous signs for the final day.

Given the visitors' bowling attack, England's batting depth, and the still solid batting pitch, the visitors need all of the overs possible to force a positive result.

The Men in Blue have not come looking good in similar circumstances in the past. The last time they posted a target of over 600 was during the second Test against Wellington in 2009, where rain had the final say with India only two wickets away from a famous win.

Similarly during the 2023 tour of West Indies, they had posted a target of 365 for the West Indies to chase in the fourth innings at Port of Spain. The Rohit Sharma-led side needed eight wickets after a couple of late strikes on Day 4. However, rain meant that no play was possible on Day 5, robbing India of some valuable World Test Championship (WTC) points right at the start of the campaign.

During the first Test of the 2021-22 Pataudi Trophy, the Men in Blue only needed 209 to claim a 1-0 lead, and were placed at 52-1 at Stumps on Day 4. With 157 runs needed and nine wickets in hand, India were firm favorites, but Day 5 was completely washed out due to rain.

South Africa also scampered to a draw with two wickets in hand due to rain during India's tour in 1997, marking another instance where weather has impacted the Men in Blue's fortunes.

#4 Bowlers' efficiency dips with the old ball

The first innings was the perfect example to show why the bowlers needed as many overs as possible to take all 10 wickets. On Day 3, India struggled with the old ball, and were out of ideas as Harry Brook and Jamie Smith put on a 303-run partnership with the utmost ease.

It needed a second new ball for the team to make further inroads and bring the innigns to an end. Team India cannot afford such a situation right now as if the same situation transpires England will comfortably see out the old ball, keep wickets in hand, survive the new ball charge to walk away with the draw.

Although India might profit from the overhead conditions, they still do not have much answers with the ball apart from Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj's new-ball charge. They only have a little time before the current ball gets older, and if they do not make a breakthrough early on, they might regret the decision to declare early, wishing that the bowlers had more overs to make an impact.