Sanjay Manjrekar predicts ideal target India should set for a close Test finish vs England

Former Indian cricketer and commentator Sanjay Manjrekar has predicted India to score at least 325 runs in the third innings and set a target of close to 350 or 360 in order to make things interesting in the fourth innings for England in the Headingley Test.

While Manjrekar hailed Team India batters for putting up a show in the first innings to score 471 runs, he wanted the same intensity from the batting line-up to put up another commendable show to set an impressive target.

“Realistically, after putting up 471 in the first innings, what this young Indian batting line-up has already achieved is commendable. Now, if they can back that up with a second-innings total of around 350 or even 325 - and that’s all speculative, of course - it would still be an outstanding batting effort,” Sanjay Manjrekar told ‘Match Centre Live’ on JioHotstar after Day 3 play.

While England, with its aggressive Bazball approach, would aim to chase down any given target, Manjrekar quickly noted that India has a potent bowling attack, and its spearhead, Jasprit Bumrah, would come into the picture yet again in the fourth innings. Furthermore, he predicted Ravindra Jadeja to take things in control if the surface continues to dry out.

“That would set England a target in the region of 350-360, and you never know with this England side - they could very well go after it and pull it off in normal course. But here’s the leveller: India has Jasprit Bumrah. And there’s no bowler in this Test - on either side - quite in his league,” he added.

“If the pitch continues to dry out and starts turning more, India not only has Bumrah, but they also have Ravindra Jadeja coming into play. That combination can make life very difficult for England. Which is why I believe we’re heading towards a very close Test match,” he concluded.

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