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England pacer Josh Tongue has declared that the hosts aren’t even considering drawing the 5th Test against India.
Josh Tongue has declared that England will go for the win on Tuesday (PC: AP)
Pacer Josh Tongue has said there’s no mention of accepting a draw in the England dressing room ahead of a blockbuster final day against India at Headingley. He said the hosts will just ‘go for the win’ after soaking up the early pressure, adding that he could see no reason why their batters could not lead them to a win.
Having gone through the final hour on Day 4 at 21/0, England need 350 runs to win on the final day. India will need all 10 wickets to win — which won’t be easy on a pitch that’s relatively flat despite starting to do some tricks. England have seemed to hate draws under Ben Stokes’ leadership, accepting only one of those from 36 Tests — a washed out Ashes 2023 game at Old Trafford.
There are chances of rain for Tuesday too, but that also doesn’t seem to deter the Englishmen.
“No. [We will] just go for the win. That’s the clear message in the changing room. It’s just [about] being as positive as we can. They’re going to bowl well at times tomorrow: it’s just crucial we soak up that bit of pressure and reapply it. I don’t see why we can’t chase that down.”
“We are very confident. Looking at our batting lineup, it’s very strong. We’ll play a positive brand of cricket. Chasing 371 is going to be a good thing for us to do tomorrow. Obviously, getting through the first 30-40 minutes will be crucial but hopefully, we’ll get the winning runs tomorrow,” Tounge added.
Tongue played a key role in getting England to a position where a win is possible. He got three of the last four Indian batters out, making sure the tail didn’t wag. He did something similar in the first innings too, offering a different kind of utility despite being quite inefective with the new ball.
It has also earned him a nickname — ‘the mop’.
“I’ve done it twice now, so I might have to start calling myself that,” Tongue said about that. “Obviously that’s part of the game. I’m happy to contribute to the team by getting those wickets.”
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