Zaheer Khan Feels Both Teams Would Consider The Other One Got Lucky With The Draw

Former Indian pacer Zaheer Khan feels both England and India are probably thinking that the other one got lucky after the first Test at Trent Bridge ended in a rather dreary draw. Going into Day 5, the Nottingham Test was poised perfectly for a grandstand finish but the rain had the final say as it washed out the entire day’s play.

Team India was on 52/1 at the end of Day 4 and needed just 157 runs to go 1-0 up in the series. Batting had become much better after a beaming sun had eased out the 22-yard strip. That being said, a 200-plus target was never achieved at the venue so England would also feel they were in with a shot. Speaking about the situation on Cricbuzz, Zaheer Khan said:

“The shorter the game time, the better it would have been for England because of the conditions, required run-rate, and an opportunity to set attacking fields. But all you can do right now is look at the positives and what learnings you can take from here.“

“Both dressing rooms will be in that kind of mood and perhaps Indian chats will be about how England got a bit lucky because of the rain while the English dressing room will say they had the bowling ability to win the game.“

“If the result is possible, then you can think about the reserve day” – Zaheer Khan

Akin to World Test Championship (WTC) final, a reserve day would have likely yielded a result. However, these things are a bit more complicated since the rules keep changing. Zaheer Khan felt the same about it and reckoned it can be considered in the future.

“It’s a good thought. If the result is possible then you can think about it. Rules keep changing. At the moment, we can just stick to the rules we have. When there are such games then one always longs for that extra day but if one’s team was lagging behind the match then they would have probably been happier without a reserve day,” he concluded.

There were a few sparks of individual brilliance from Joe Root and Jasprit Bumrah in the first Test so the second one is set up for another engaging contest and it will be played at Lord’s, London.