India won the Lord’s Test against England by 151 runs to go one up in the series. It was a stunning Day 5 as the odds were overturned completely thanks to the performances of the Indian bowlers. Not only with the ball, but the pacers also did well with the bat, which set up India for the win. Recently, R Ashwin revealed the immense faith of India’s batting coach on the tail-enders.
Bumrah and Shami stitch an 89* run partnership
After Rishabh Pant fell early on Day 5, the focus shifted to England’s batting innings. India’s tail is not known to contribute much with the bat, and hence, there were not many expectations from them. In fact, Bumrah and Shami were duck out in the first innings.
However, the duo combined together to add 89 runs for the ninth wicket, which helped India declare with confidence and then force a result. While Shami scored 56 runs, Bumrah made 34 runs. Both remained not-out before the declaration came in.
R Ashwin reveals Vikram Rathour’s faith in the tail-enders
R Ashwin returned with his ‘Kutty Stories‘ episodes on his YouTube channel, which had gained popularity after the Australia Tour. He revealed many interesting snippets, one which also involved the immense faith of India’s batting coach on the tail-enders.
Ashwin narrated the incident that happened in the dressing room after Pant’s wicket fell. Ravi Shastri talked about setting a target of 180 to which Vikram Rathour responded with frustration. He said, “What guys! You are asking for only 20-30 runs from our lower order. I have been given them heavy throwdowns as a batting coach. Desire for higher. Aim for 50-60 runs.”
He said that he had been giving sidearms to the bowlers day and night and that they can be expected to hold the crease for some time. Incidentally, Vikram’s confidence bore fruit as India eventually won the game.
