Eng vs Ind: Jadeja would be the biggest threat in second innings, says Moeen Ali

Sep 06, 2021

London [UK], September 6 : England Test vice-captain Moeen Ali reckons that left-arm spinner Moeen Ali would be the biggest threat for his side on the final day of the ongoing fourth Test against India.
England has been set a target of 368 in the fourth Test of the five-match series and the hosts have all ten wickets in hand heading into the final day of an absorbing Test match.
"Jasprit Bumrah is one of those bowlers that can make anything happen but Jadeja is the biggest threat on that wicket. It's such a flat wicket but we're still going to have to play well. India always fight back strongly and that's something we're going to have to be wary about," Ali told Sky Sports.
"I thought the boys batted excellently. We knew if we get through the first 10 to 15 overs, the two guys who are in are very disciplined. They've done it before in the series when they put on an amazing partnership, so hopefully, they can do it again tomorrow," he added.
England pacer Chris Woakes also believes that the Oval pitch is still good enough to bat and reckons that his side is in with a chance to chase down 291 runs on the final day.
"We felt like it was a good enough wicket to be able to chase any score. To go all the way and chase down that score would be an incredible effort. It would be a great, great chase. But our openers have done a great job and put us in a good position to start on the final day. To get another 291 on a day-five pitch always sounds like a tough task but we've got to keep reminding ourselves that this pitch is still good for batting and we can do it if we bat well all the way down," said Woakes during a virtual press conference.
"We just have to tick it off slowly. We won't get too far ahead of ourselves. I hear that it'll be a full house here at The Oval, so the atmosphere will be great. And that's where you want to be as a player. I watched the first three Tests of this series at home and was desperate to be a part of it, so I'm absolutely buzzing to be here and hopefully, we have an opportunity to win," he added.
Earlier, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rishabh Pant, and Shardul Thakur all registered scores of more than 50 as India set a target of 368 for England on Day 4 of the ongoing fourth Test here at the Kennington Oval on Sunday. Umesh Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah also played cameos of 25 and 24 as India posted a score of 466 in the second innings, extending the lead to 367. For England, Woakes returned with three wickets.
At stumps on Day 4, England's score read 77/0-- still needing 291 runs for the win with all ten wickets in hand. For the hosts, Burns (31*) and Hameed (43*) are at the crease.

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