Sam Curran must rise to the occasion on his home ground this week: Sir Geoffrey Boycott

Former England opener Sir Geoffrey Boycott feels all-rounder Sam Curran has a point to prove in the fourth Test against India. Having played all three Tests, Sam Curran is yet to make a significant impact in the game.

In three Tests, Curran has managed only 74 runs at 18.50, including bagging a king pair. With the ball, the left-arm seamer has taken three wickets at 79.33 apiece, keeping an economy rate of 3.22. He is among the players whose spot is slightly under scrutiny for the fourth game.

Writing a column for The Telegraph, Sir Geoffrey Boycott said that Sam Curran has not done much with the bat or the ball so far. The 81-year old expects the 23-year old to perform well on his home ground in the fourth Test.

"Sam Curran has been on the fringes of everything with not enough runs, not enough wickets and at some point he has to make an impact. Sam has got to grab his chance because once Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes are available getting selected will be much harder. He is playing on his home ground this week, in front of his home supporters and must rise to the occasion,"

Jos Buttler did not look comfortable taking strike: Sir Geoffrey Boycott

Geoffrey Boycott. (Credits: Getty)

Sir Geoffrey Boycott opined on Jos Buttler's woes with the bat, saying he looked at sea. As a free-flowing cricketer, Boycott expected Buttler to accumulate runs comfortably.

"Buttler’s batting was getting to be a problem. Now he is missing the fourth Test and it gives him time to think about his batting because when I watched him, he did not look comfortable taking strike.

He made 72 runs from five innings and faced 190 balls. He should have made nearly 200 from those 190 balls because he is a natural free-scoring batsman, very positive with his strokes,"

Hence, the cricketer-turned-commentator advised the keeper-batsman to work on moving his feet and defense while spending time away from Tests.

"It always comes down to footwork and confidence. My advice to Jos is go away and work on moving your feet, dance and defend well early on so you can spend some time in the middle,"

With Buttler set to miss the fourth Test, Jonny Bairstow will keep wickets at the Oval. England bounced back in the third Test in Leeds to level the five-match series. The fourth game starts on the 2nd of September.

Who's excited to see these players in the fourth Test against @BCCI? 🦁🦁🦁🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 #ENGvIND 🇮🇳

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) August 29, 2021