R Ashwin sends stern pitch warning to Team India for Day 2 at Lord's Test: 'Roll them out in first session'

Former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin has sent a stern warning to Shubman Gill and Co as they get ready for Day 2 in the Lord’s Test against England on Friday . Having decided to bat first, England finished Day 1 on a subdued 251/4 as they ditched the aggressive Bazball approach for a cautious day of play.

Unlike in the past, the Day 1 pitch at Lord’s was sluggish as stroke making became a difficult exercise and the batters were made to work hard for their runs. The best batter on the day was Joe Root, who scored an unbeaten 99 off 191 balls. It was also the lowest score the England team has scored in a single day of a Test match when they haven’t been bowled out since Brendon McCullum became the head coach.

For India, Nitish Kumar Reddy was the pick of the bowlers as he dismissed the openers in the same over with some nice swinging balls and also had captain Ben Stokes in trouble once. Jasprit Bumrah dismissed Harry Brook with a brilliant inswinging ball and Ravindra Jadeja got Ollie Pope out.

Ashwin sends pitch warning to Team India bowlers

According to legendary cricketer R Ashwin, all indications suggest the pitch will only get tougher for batters. He has advised the Indian bowlers to wrap up England’s innings before they reach 350.

“If you look at this pitch, it possesses some sub-continent tendencies. The ball usually softens up after 60 overs, but if you look at Ravindra Jadeja, one back of a length delivery hit Joe Root’s bat very low. Now, this on Day 1 at Lord’s is quite a contrast to the conditions that you expect in England," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

“The up and bounce at Lord’s was always going to be a concern, and we saw that when Nitish Reddy picked up two wickets and also had Ben Stokes in trouble momentarily.

Ashwin added that the pitch will play more ticks: “There is contrasting bounce and variable pace on this pitch. If I were India, I would be telling the bowler to roll them out in the first session tomorrow. Can they keep England below 350? Because the longer England play, this surface is going to play tricks.”