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Michael Vaughan feels England should be disappointed with their first-innings total of 290 in the Oval Test against India. The former England skipper opined that the conditions on Day 2 were perfect for batting and the hosts should have put up more runs on the board.
Resuming the day at 53 for 3, England lost two quick wickets and looked in deep trouble at 62 for 5. However, Ollie Pope (81), Chris Woakes (50), Jonny Bairstow (35) and Moeen Ali (35) combined to lift the side to 290.
Vaughan, though, felt England let a great opportunity to bat India out of the game slip by failing to secure a lead of 150. He told Cricbuzz:
“This Test match has been dramatic. There has been that ebb and flow. From an England perspective, 290 was 80 short. They would be disappointed in that dressing room. It was a day where someone should have got a hundred. It was a day where England could have batted the day out.”
According to the former England skipper, while the batters played some attractive strokes, in the end they could not put enough runs on the board. He continued:
“Yes, it is flamboyant and you are seeing lots of shots and lots of great strikes to the boundary. It was a beautiful day for batting. Bat all day and go into Day 3 still batting and you are saying to India, we have got a lead of 160-170. It would have been very hard for India to win from that position.”
He further stated that the Test is now hanging in the balance and whoever wins the first session on Day 3 will be ahead. Vaughan reckoned:
“By only getting a 99-run lead and India starting well in the second innings, things are hanging in the balance. It is really about that first hour (on Day 3). If England can crack it, they are well on top. But if this (KL Rahul-Rohit Sharma) partnership carries on for an hour, and they nullify that initial period where there will be more movement, India will start to become favourites.”
England were 222 for 6 at one stage but lost a couple of quick wickets before Chris Woakes’ blazing 50 lifted them to 290.
Moeen Ali’s rush of blood a key moment: Michael Vaughan
Following Bairstow’s dismissal for 37, Pope and Moeen were in control of England’s innings in the second session. Out of the blue, Moeen went to slog Ravindra Jadeja and gave a simple catch.
According to Vaughan, Moeen’s dismissal could turn out to be a potentially game-changing moment. He concluded:
“Moeen Ali’s dismissal was a big play in the game. Moeen (Ali) and Ollie Pope were controlling the game. There were some nice punches down the ground and then all of a sudden, in Moeen’s mind he went ‘I want to hit six’. In Test cricket, you don’t always have to hit a six. You can play on the floor. They could have kept playing till the second new ball and could have been 60 in front. If they had four wickets in hand when the new ball arrived, they could have pushed the lead to 150. That was a key moment in the Test, I believe, when Moeen had that rush of blood.”
After England ended their first innings at 290, India ended Day 2 at 43 for no loss, reducing the deficit to 56.
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