"I have to give credit to the bowler as well" - Zaheer Khan on India's batting collapse 

Former Indian bowler Zaheer Khan praised James Anderson for setting up the Team India batsmen in the first innings of the third Test. India were rattled by the veteran pacer after electing to bat first and. They were 56-4 at the end of the first session.

A well-deserved standing ovation for @jimmy9 and the boys at lunch 👏Scorecard/Clips: https://t.co/6l7rCQ2ACi🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 #ENGvIND 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/DzgVX5mXVx

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) August 25, 2021

England had a dream start after managing to remove the in-form KL Rahul for a duck. After striking in his first over, veteran pacer James Anderson was also able to scalp the wickets of Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli. Ollie Robinson concluded the session with the dismissal of Ajinkya Rahane to put the hosts in a commanding position.

Zaheer Khan was asked if the dismissals should solely be attributed to poor shot selection or if the bowlers deserve credit for making the batsmen play. Speaking on Cricbuzz, Zaheer Khan said:

"I have to give credit to the bowler because he is forcing the batsman to make the error. It's not like the bowler is bowling the same delivery over and over again. The manner in which the bowler is setting up; that is the fun of Test matches. When James Anderson took the wicket of KL Rahul, it's not as if the first four-five deliveries were full in length, it was pitched on a good length after that only he drew Rahul into a drive."

All of the dismissals so far have been of a similar fashion. The Indian batsmen have poked deliveries around the off-stump, only to get an edge and be dismissed. Jos Buttler has already claimed five catches so far in the ongoing innings.

I think it is a combination of both, so the bowler should be given credit: Zaheer Khan

Zaheer Khan continued by speaking of the manner in which Anderson set up the dismissal of Cheteshwar Pujara with a relatively harmless outswinger. He believes that while batsmen are at fault for their dismissals, the bowler should also get due credit. Zaheer Khan added:

"For Pujara, there was an on-side fieldset and only after he got a few deliveries to come in, he delivered the out-swinger outside the off-stump. I think it is a combination of both, so the bowler should be given credit. When batsmen are in good form, they are successful in surviving these phases."

8️⃣ overs6️⃣ runs3️⃣ wickets5️⃣ maidensWhat a morning spell, @jimmy9 🙇🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 #ENGvIND 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/7OYZUadNs0

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) August 25, 2021

India are currently reeling at 60-5 after losing the wicket of Rishabh Pant shortly after the lunch break. Rohit Sharma is still in the middle, having faced 100 deliveries at the crease.