"It's not a pitch where you will bowl the opposition team out for 150" - Aakash Chopra on the state of ENG vs IND 2025 1st Test

Cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra has opined that the first Test between India and England won't end in a draw. He noted that India would have to set a substantial target, highlighting that the visitors are unlikely to bowl England out cheaply on the Headingley pitch that doesn't hold too many demons.

India bowled England out for 465 in their first innings on Day 3 (Sunday, June 22) in Leeds. Shubman Gill and company ended the day at 90/2 in their second innings, with a lead of 96 runs.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra,' the former India player reckoned that the Headingley Test would yield a result, but pointed out that a target close to 150 won't be enough.

"Where is the match standing? The match has progressed so fast in three days that the result will come for sure. A six-run lead is not much, but then they (England) have to bat last. So that will be a difficult job, although the ball isn't turning that much. Ravindra Jadeja has got a little turn. He might have to play a pivotal role if we are able to score that many runs in the end," Chopra said (2:45). "We have started scoring runs. Yashasvi Jaiswal got out early, but KL Rahul is still there. Sai Sudharsan was playing well, scored 30 runs, looked good for a bit more, but Ben Stokes dismissed him. It's not a pitch where you will bowl the opposition team out for 150," he added.

The former India opener reckoned that the visitors would be the favorites if they set a target of more than 250 runs, even though the conditions are favorable for batting.

"If we go beyond 250, which we can, the scales will be tilted towards India in this game. Having said that, it's not a deteriorating pitch. The bounce isn't too uneven, the ball is coming nicely onto the bat, and the outfield is quite fast," Chopra observed.

Yashasvi Jaiswal (4) and Sai Sudharsan (30) were the batters dismissed in India's second innings. KL Rahul (47*) and Shubman Gill (6*) were the unbeaten batters in the middle at Stumps.

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"Go beyond 300" - Aakash Chopra on the target India should set in ENG vs IND 2025 1st Test

Shubman Gill (left) and Rishabh Pant, who is yet to bat, scored centuries in India's first innings. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra urged India to set a 300-plus target, highlighting that they could reach there if they bat around two sessions on the fourth day.

"Go beyond 300. Even if we bat 50 to 60 overs on the fourth day, since we go at a rate of four runs per over, we will go beyond 300, as we already have a lead of more than 90 runs," he said (3:50).

To conclude, the analyst added that India will enjoy the upper hand if they don't falter badly in the first two sessions.

"The scales are tilted towards India, but for that, they will have to play two sessions well. If we don't lose one of the first two sessions significantly, we will be in a good space. England would want to make a comeback from where they make a real match of it," Chopra observed.

Reflecting on the situation of the game on Sony Sports, former India wicketkeeper-batter Saba Karim opined that the visitors are 55-45 favorites heading into the fourth day. On the flip side, former India pacer RP Singh reckoned that England have a slight edge after Day 3.

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Edited by Kartik Iyer