Can chase beyond 600... - James Anderson reveals Brendon McCullum's pep talk ahead of day 3

England are chasing 399 to win the Vizag Test and finished day three at 67/1 in the 14 overs they batted in the final session. James Anderson who took 2/29 in 10 overs in the Indian second innings spoke about the pep talk delivered by their coach Brendon McCullum.

India were bowled out for 255 in their second innings. Shubman Gill (204) scored his third Test on and played a major role in India getting to that score. Axar Patel scored 45 and ended up as the second-highest scorer for India in the second innings. Shreyas Iyer and Ravichandran Ashwin scored 29 each.

For England, Tom Hartley picked up 4/77 and Rehan Ahmed took 3/88 after James Anderson picked up the openers in quick succession. England need another 332 runs to win with two more days remaining in the Test match.

Meanwhile, Anderson after the third day’s play spoke about Brendon McCullum’s pep talk that very well justifies their “Bazball” approach to Test cricket. There is a good opportunity that the second Test like the first ends inside four days.

We Feel Well In The Game: James Anderson

The England pacer talked to TNT Sports after the end of the day’s play and said that McCullum told them that they could even chase 600 if India managed to post a big total. England previously scored 378 against India in Birmingham in the 2021-22 series. Once again they are backing themselves to chase nearly 400 in Indian conditions.

“We feel well in the game. We got sat down by the coach [Brendon McCullum] last night and he said, ‘if India get 600 ahead, we’re going to try and chase it down’. And that’s exactly what we’re going to try and do” said Anderson.

“We stuck to our task really well today. They put on a partnership at one point but the way the spinners kept going, kept toiling, was brilliant. Now we’re in a great position and we’re going to give it a good crack tomorrow,” he further added.

Speaking about India’s second innings performance they had no intent to score runs, especially in the final session of play with India losing the tailenders quickly. The England skipper Ben Stokes had a positive approach throughout the second innings. He manufactured wickets from nowhere to bring his team back into the game.

With 332 behind, England have now given themselves a fair chance of winning the game on the fourth day itself. Former England skipper Kevin Pietersen spoke about this modern England team playing to win and not taking a backward step. Stokes as England’s captain has won 14 out of the 19 Test matches with five losses and just one drawn game.

The skipper scored a gritty 47 before he was cleaned up by Jasprit Bumrah in the first innings and holds the key to the chase in the second innings as well. England are well placed to win the Test match and a win for the team will be nothing short of a historical moment. Meanwhile, it will make India’s comeback almost impossible in the rest of the series.

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