IND vs ENG | Series not dead, pitch will be flat at The Oval, says Dominic Cork
After England beat India by an innings and 76 runs on Saturday, former fast bowler Dominic Cork said that the series is not dead and buried. Cork stated that it will be hard to predict the outcomes of the next two matches, adding that The Oval will present a flatter pitch conducive for batting
England defeated India by an innings and 76 runs in the third Test at Headingley on Saturday but the 5-match series is not "dead and buried" according to the former Three Lions fast bowler Dominic Cork.
Starting from their overnight score of 215 for 2, India lost 7 wickets in the span of just 54 minutes as the hosts bounced back from the 151-run defeat in the second Test at the Home of Cricket to level the series 1-1. England bowlers bundled out India for 78 on the opening day and then in a rare instance, England batsmen struck together to take a gain a massive 354-run lead over the hosts.
Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli showed some resistance but once the Day 4 commenced the line-up collapsed like a house of cards. Ollie Robinson wracked havoc once again, taking his second 5-wicket haul of the series.
Cork has praised England bowlers for sticking to a line but at the same time admitted that the result of the series can swing either way.
"England bowlers know these conditions, know this ground and understand that 4th-5th stump line that makes batsmen play at times. They also bowl slightly wide of the crease and create an angle.
"They make it look like you have got to play at the balls and they were also a little bit fuller.
"The Indian bowlers, their lengths were not the same as their English counterparts. England constantly swung the ball... Virat Kohli said at the presentation that England bowlers didn't let them off the hook at any stage, they put them under pressure and didn't allow easy runs," Cork said on air after the match.
"Test cricket is hard enough when you are trying to get a total but when the opposition are not giving away easy runs... I think it was the pressure, the conditions helped England in the morning, they swung the ball put India under pressure took the wickets.
"And if you look at the way England batted, this is the first time the top-4 have got fifties since 2013.
"So that shows the improvement in England's top-4 and also Joe Root is in the form of his life, put that all together and I think ultimately England outplayed India. But this series is not dead and buried. We go to The Oval, flatter pitch, 2 matches to go... I don't think anybody can predict the results," Cork said.
The fourth Test starts at The Oval on September 2, Thursday.
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