‘It looked like a dead lbw’: Ben Duckett on Shubman Gill surviving a close call

England opener Ben Duckett says Shubman Gill surviving a close call looked like a “dead lbw” and still believes that if they can take wickets in cluster to put India on the back foot.

“It feels like a tricky pitch to start on,” he told reporters.

“Shubman (Gill) there, we could have had him. It looked like a dead lbw (when he was struck on the pad by Tom Hartley) and somehow, it’s bouncing over the stumps. It’s one of those things.

“We’ll stick to our mantra and that’s taking wickets and looking to be positive. Hopefully, that will happen for us as well.”

India will resume from 119 for 1 on Day 2 and Yashasvi Jaiswal’s attacking gameplan has taken England by surprise but with pitch deteriorating quickly, England are still in the match.

“You have to pay credit to them… they played really well and were very attacking, which is positive,” he said.

“They don’t always go about it like that, so to go about it that way shows that they probably think that pitch is going to get quite a bit worse.

“That’s going to happen out here, and that’s something that we’ll have good belief in when we’re bowling,” Duckett said.

“We could easily take three or four (wickets) tomorrow morning for 10 runs.”

Despite getting bowled out on 246, the England opener feels they are in a strong position.

We are very happy being bowled out for what we got,” Duckett told BBC Sport.

“Hopefully we can take two or three wickets early [on day two] and put them under pressure.”

“We’re in a strong position, regardless of them only being one down,” he added.

Duckett lauded skipper Ben Stokes knock.

“He’s the best in the world in those situations,” said Duckett.

“The way he soaked up pressure early on, trusted his defence, then when we were eight or nine down he let loose like he does all the time. That could be a match-winning innings for us.”

England left-arm spinner Tom Hartley’s first delivery in Test cricket was hit for a six by Yashasvi Jaiswal, who is unbeaten on 76 from 70 balls.

“We back Tommy,” said Duckett.

“Stokesy gave him nine overs to bowl when other captains might take him off after two overs, then he’d be hiding away for the rest of the game.”

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