“You have to give huge amount of credit to selection panel”: Alastair Cook hails Bahir’s bowling in fourth Test against India

Ranchi (Jharkhand) [India]: Former England skipper Alastair Cook appreciated spinner Shoaib Bashir after his strong performance on the second day of the fourth Test against India at JSCA International Stadium Complex on Saturday.

Bashir snapped four wickets in his spell of 32 overs while conceding 83 runs. Two wickets were grabbed by left-arm spinner Tom Hartley in his spell of 19 overs.

While Bashir has taken eight wickets in two matches, Hartley is the leading wicket-taker with 18 wickets in four matches, including a seven-wicket haul in the first match. Hartley is the leading wicket-taker in the series, outdoing the Indian spin stars Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav.

“You have to give huge amount of credit to the selection panel. They’ve picked a guy who has only played four first-class games to go on an England tour. They knew they needed tall spinners and they picked Shoaib Bashir and Tom Hartley. Whoever made the call on picking those two deserves credit,” Cook was quoted as saying by Sky Sports on TNT Sports.

“The reason he bowled a 30-over spell was because he was on the money with every ball and the pressure he created for the Indians, who to be honest, didn’t bat well. They struggled with the balance of attack and defence and it’s not often you say that about the home side not adjusting to the conditions well,” the opener added.

Coming to the match, England scored 353 runs in their first innings after electing to bat. India had reduced England to 112/5, but Joe Root (122* in 274 balls, with 10 fours) roared back to form with 31st Test century. Also, handy contributions came through from wicketkeeper-batter Ben Foakes (47 in 126 balls, with four boundaries and a six) and Ollie Robinson (58 in 96 balls, with nine fours and a six), with both stitching century stands with Root.

Ravindra Jadeja (4/67) was the pick of the bowlers for India while it was debutant Akash Deep (3/83) who stole the show with his opening spell. Mohammed Siraj (2/78) was also good with the ball.

In the second innings, India ended the day two at 219/7, with Dhruv Jurel (30*) and Kuldeep Yadav (17*). Yashasvi Jaiswal continued his red-hot form with a knock of 73 in 117 balls, with eight fours and a six. Shubman Gill also scored 38 in 65 balls, with six fours. Spinners Shoaib Bashir (4/84) and Tom Hartley (2/47) dominated Team India and the Three Lions lead by 134 runs.