"They will have to bowl with a better plan" - RP Singh on what India need to do on Day 3 of the 3rd Test vs England

RP Singh reckons India might have to adopt a slightly defensive approach to bowl England out on the third day of the third Test in Rajkot.

India were all out for 445 in their first innings after starting the second day (Friday, February 16) at 326/5. The visiting batters then took the attack to the Indian bowlers as England ended the day at 205/2 in just 35 overs in their first essay.

During a discussion on Colors Cineplex, RP Singh was asked what India need to do on the third morning. He responded:

"I feel they will have to bowl with a better plan. At times, when batters are set on such a wicket, you have to slow down the game slightly and play a little dead cricket. You have to bowl on one side so that a lot of boundaries are not scored."

The former India seamer opined that a restrictive approach might yield the best results.

"If you have to bowl England out, you will have to stop the boundaries. The more boundaries they get, their confidence will be higher. We saw how they were batting, if one or two dot balls were bowled, they played the reverse sweep or stepped out. They were doing something or the other," RP Singh added.

England scored 134 runs in boundaries, smashing 29 fours and three sixes. All the Indian bowlers, barring Jasprit Bumrah, conceded more than five runs per over.

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"You might have to bowl the same way for four or five overs" - RP Singh

Ben Duckett's unbeaten 133 off 118 deliveries put India on the back foot. [P/C: Getty]

RP Singh noted that India need to follow a monotonous approach. He explained:

"They weren't getting the energy without hitting the boundaries. I feel you will have to make a setup plan, where you might have to bowl the same way for four or five overs, boring bowling, and then you can try something and force the batters to do something."

The cricketer-turned-commentator added that the bouncers should be high enough to trouble the batters if a short-pitched approach is adopted.

"The Indian captain made a bouncer plan. It was a good plan but for that, the areas in which you bowl the bouncers should be good. It should attack the head. When we used to play, the captain always said that we need to find the length where the bouncer goes and hits the head," he stated.

RP Singh opined that India should start with Ravindra Jadeja from one end and rotate their seamers from the other end. He reasoned that the pitch hasn't changed much and isn't giving a lot of assistance to the spinners yet.