"Cannot take cricket for granted"- Ramiz Raja slams India after a disappointing performance on Day 1

Former Pakistan cricketer Ramiz Raja was disappointed with India's performance on Day 1 of the third Test at Headingley, Leeds. The visitors were bundled out for just 78 runs and also failed to take even a single wicket of the opposition.

Ramiz Raja believes cricket is a great leveler and maybe India took things for granted which led to their downfall. He feels they are in a dangerous position to get completely blown away in the third Test.

In a video on his YouTube channel, this is what Ramiz Raja had to say:

"Who would have thought that after winning comprehensively at Lord's, India would dig a hole for themselves at Headingley? Cricket is a great leveler and you cannot take it for granted."

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Ramiz Raja on the Indian think tank's role

Ramiz Raja also questioned Virat Kohli's decision to bat first on a pitch that had enough in it for the bowlers on the first morning. He feels it is the role of the think tank to help the captain in taking the right decisions and that unfortunately didn't happen.

"The role of the think tank is to read the pitch well and pass on the right information to the captain to make his job easier. Their job is also to tell the captain what to do after winning the toss."

England ended the day on 120-0 and are already 42 runs ahead. India will need to pick up early wickets, ideally in clumps, if they hope to have any chance of coming back into the Test match.

Both Haseeb Hameed (60 not out) and Rory Burns (52 not out) seem well-settled at the crease and the Indian bowlers looked highly ineffective on Day 1. They cannot afford to let England score freely again, as they will run the risk of being completely outplayed in no time.

A tough day at the office for #TeamIndia 🇮🇳 as England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 lead by 4️⃣2️⃣ runs at Stumps on Day 1️⃣.Join us tomorrow for all the action from Day 2️⃣. #ENGvINDScorecard 👉 https://t.co/FChN8SDsxh pic.twitter.com/GnGOb7Iycg

— BCCI (@BCCI) August 25, 2021