Zak Crawley's Counterpunching Innings Amidst Indian Pressure

England Opener Adapts to Challenging Conditions in Ranchi

Feb 24, 2024 - 13:28
Zak Crawley's Counterpunching Innings Amidst Indian Pressure
England's Zak Crawley plays a shot on the first day of the fourth Test cricket match between India and England, at the JSCA International Stadium Complex, in Ranchi, Friday, Feb. 23, 2024.

On Friday, Joe Root approached the situation patiently, but Zak Crawley did not. Following early pressure from the Indian spinners, the England opener responded with an innings at a run-a-ball. But he had his reasons.

"It was nipping a lot and nipping quickly," Crawley said after the play of the day during the press conference.


"At first, I was trying to bat normally, but it was too difficult; it was seaming." I sensed that one had my name on it. We thus had to return a few blows, and Johnny (Bairstow) and I really accomplished it rather successfully. After that, it became simpler, but the middle-order lads found it difficult to counter the spin, and they made an excellent assessment of it. In evaluating the Ranchi wicket, 26-year-old Crawley stated, "They read the situation and played unbelievably."

After an early reprieve, when a no-ball rescued him even after Akash Deep had rattled his stumps, Crawley hit 42 with six fours and a six.

He said that England had a hard time scoring because of India's field placements. "It was tricky with the fields they were setting, but we just always talk about being present in the moment, playing the situation, and the situation required a bit more caution with that kind of pitch and the variable bounce."

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