'Was not easy to bat against him' - Zaheer Khan praises Ben Stokes for excellent spell at Edgbaston

Former Indian pacer Zaheer Khan has lauded England skipper Ben Stokes for bowling an excellent spell during the Day 3 of the rescheduled Test match between England and India. The former left-arm pacer also emphasized the fact that if Stokes had a little bit of luck then he could have grabbed a few more wickets and put India under pressure.

After the end of Day 3, the visitors have gained a healthy lead of 257 runs with senior batter Cheteshwar Pujara and the centurion from the first innings Rishabh Pant still at the crease. While Pujara completed a gritty half-century, Pant played well for his 30 runs.

The last session of play was very exciting: Zaheer Khan

“The last session of play was very exciting. Ben Stokes bowled a brilliant spell and it was not easy to bat against him. Had India lost a couple of more wickets, things could have been different and there could have been greater pressure on them. However, they survived and the way they are playing, India should be able to add another 150 and put England under greater pressure,” Zaheer told Cricbuzz.

The veteran pacer also emphasized the fact that the Edgbaston wicket is getting difficult for the batting and the Three Lions will have to bat out of their skins to grab the match. The home team needs to win the match at any cost if they want to save the Test series.

“Batting in the last session of Day 3 wasn’t that easy. The pitch was a bit up and down. It wasn’t as easy as we thought it would be. England have to bat on the same surface. It won’t be easy for them as well. As it is, it’s never easy to bat in the fourth innings of a Test. As India’s lead crosses 300 and, maybe 350, they will start feeling comfortable. If they take a lead of 400, they can drive the game from there,” Zaheer added.