IND vs ENG: Zaheer Khan concerned about India's batting on slow pitches

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Team India showed some character in the second Test against England and levelled the five-match Test series 1-1 with an emphatic win in Visakhapatnam. Rohit Sharma-led side won the second Test by 106 runs.

While speaking on 'Match Centre Live' on JioCinema, cricket experts Zaheer Khan and Owais Shah provided valuable insights into the performance of both teams, particularly focusing on India's batting struggles in the series.

Zaheer Khan emphasised the importance of aggression and belief in turning the series around when trailing. He commended Rohit Sharma's captaincy for inspiring individual performances but highlighted concerns regarding India's batting performance, especially under favourable conditions.

"If you are one down in the series, you need that aggression, fight and belief to make sure that it is 1-1 after the end of the game. And I think Rohit was able to bring out those individual performances from the players."

"There are a few concerns when you look at the team - batting is something that they will be talking about because under these conditions, on this sort of a surface, we have seen India do better. You look at England's second innings, there is only one half-century and they still managed to get close to 300.

"That is what collective effort can do. We have seen two brilliant innings - Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill, but with the bat, there is a lot of work to be done," he added further.

The 45-year-old noted that while Jasprit Bumrah showcased brilliance with the ball, India's spinners seemed under pressure at times, requiring support from the batsmen. Emphasising the crucial role of the captain in managing these challenges, the legendary left-handed pacer praised Rohit for his adept handling of such situations.

"On the bowling front as well, you had the brilliance of Jasprit Bumrah. On this kind of surface, you feel that your spinners were at times under pressure, and because of that, they needed help from the batters. So, to control all these factors - this is where the captain needs to come into play, and Rohit has been superb when it comes to all these factors and situations," he Zaheer.

Former England cricketer Owais Shah, offering insights from an England perspective, observed that England's shot-making seemed rushed, leading to critical dismissals of key batsmen like Ollie Pope and Joe Root. He highlighted missed opportunities for partnerships that could have significantly impacted the match's outcome.

"When Ollie Pope came in, it seemed like he was looking to score off every delivery. It was a similar case for Joe Root, and eventually, both lost their wickets. There was a lot of expectation from Pope, who had played a brilliant innings in the last match and Root is a class player whose numbers speak for themselves.

"Had both of them stitched a good partnership together, they had the chance to chase this mammoth target. Then, even in the Ben Stokes run-out, he seemed a little relaxed. So, if you lose three big wickets like this, then chasing a target like this becomes almost impossible," Shah said.

Cricket enthusiasts can catch the live action of the third Test between India and England on February 15th, exclusively on JioCinema, Sports18, and Colors Cineplex channels.