NEW DELHI: Former Pakistan cricketer Ramiz Raja heaped rich praise on Team India for thriving under pressure on Day 5 against England and going on to eventually win the second Test at the Lord's.
While speaking in a video uploaded on his YouTube channel, Raja also said that the hosts will find it difficult to recover from this defeat. India beat England by 151 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
"Even if this Test was drawn with the hosts 7-8 wickets down, it would have been a moral victory for India. But following this defeat, it will be very difficult for England to stand up in the remaining Test matches.
"They should have drawn this game, but India forced them into a corner with their aggression, and made life difficult for them. England did not play their natural game because of India's exemplary bowling, and the innings became stagnant," he said.
Mohammed Shami scored his second Test half-century as he and Jasprit Bumrah put on a record 89-run unbeaten ninth-wicket stand. The partnership changed the tide of the game as India eventually declared at 298/8.
"India looked hungry to make an impossible situation possible. Shami's counter-attack flattened England. The same fighting spirit was seen in India's bowling as well. They sensed that England's weak batting could be put under pressure," Raja added.