India v England: England endured a brutal day in Chennai, says Michael Atherton
Monday 19 December 2016 17:56, UK
England could hardly have endured a worse day in Chennai, according to Michael Atherton, as Karun Nair’s unbeaten 303 saw India declare on 759-7.
It leaves Alastair Cook's side needing to bat out the final day to avoid defeat in the fifth Test, at the end of a chastening tour.
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With the series already lost and having spent the entirety of third day in the field, England were made to suffer again as they took just three wickets all day as India romped to their highest Test total.
"That was a brutal day," Atherton told Sky Sports. "The only way it could have been worse for England was if India had been slightly more ruthless with their declaration and given them an hour before the close.
"It would have been so tough for Cook, especially, given everything that had gone on. But a very brutal day - England have never conceded more in their Test history."
The former England skipper acknowledged that the current crop are not the first to toil on lifeless surfaces but believes that the bowling attack lacks the required attributes to overcome such wickets.
"We've seen plenty of England teams struggle on flat wickets in the past," Atherton said. "Brian Lara's 400 in Antigua, his 375, I was captain, and I also captained a game at The Oval when the West Indies got 690 or something.
"On pitches like that, what you need is a bit of extra pace or a bit of outstanding spin - the two extremes - they're the only way to get you wickets.
"England haven't got those extremes, they haven't got the raw pace and they haven't got outstanding spin."
India, meanwhile, have benefitted from the strength in depth they possess in the batting department and the competition it has created within the camp, argued Atherton.
"There is an internal dynamic that is very interesting in that Indian team because a lot of these guys are not sure of their places," he added.
"Karun Nair has only played because of injury, he might not be sure of his place in the next Test match!
"This internal dynamic is pushing them along to be as competitive and driven as they can because they know the batting is so strong in and around the group that they might not play."
Watch day five of the fifth Test between India and England in Chennai, live on Sky Sports 2 from 3.45am on Tuesday.
