ENG vs IND 2025: 'Got overaggressive on flat wicket' - Varun Aaron highlights where Indian bowlers faltered at Edgbaston

Former Indian cricketer, Varun Aaron, felt the Indian bowlers got a bit too overambitious on an Edgbaston wicket which did not provide much of assistance for them during Day 3 of the second Test of the ongoing five-match series between England and India. He felt that India's over-assertive brand of bowling granted Harry Brook and Jamie Smith the opportunity to take control of proceedings, as the duo added a record 303 runs for the sixth wicket.

“I think India allowed this counterpunch by the English batters. If you see what worked really well for India last evening and even this morning, it was bowling at the right length. But the moment India got Stokes' wicket, they got a bit too aggressive on a flat wicket," shared Aaron while speaking on JioHotstar.

Aaron also felt that the Indian bowling unit overused the short-ball ploy on a slowish pitch which required them to bowl stump-to-stump more than anything else.

"Too many bouncers, too many short balls. On a slow pitch, when none of your bowlers are consistently pushing the 145 kph mark, you cannot afford to bowl that many short deliveries. Indian bowlers have the skill to keep it on that ideal length - keep hitting the stumps. Sustained pressure is what gets you wickets. You can't expect things to happen immediately all the time," he added.

India had a remarkable start to their morning after Mohammed Siraj dismissed Joe Root (22 off 46) and Ben Stokes (zero off one) in successive deliveries in just the second over of play. However, a brilliant partnership between Brook and Smith helped England get out of the hole they were in. Their proactive batting kept the scoreboard moving and ensured the Indians never settled into a proper rhythm with the ball after the early strikes.

Brook, Smith rewrite record books with mammoth stand

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Brook, Smith rewrite record books with mammoth stand

The sixth-wicket stand came to a close after the pair had forged 303 runs as Akash Deep struck after the Tea break with a delivery which breached Brook's bat after nipping back sharply off the deck. Brook departed for 158 off 234 deliveries.