Michael Atherton lauds India's intent in Test series, says Kohli & Co. should be '2-0' up

Former England skipper Michael Atherton believes that India should be 2-0 up in the ongoing five-match Test series the way the Virat Kohli-led side has performed so far on this tour. Atherton has made this statement just days after Team India's historic win in the second Test match at the iconic Lord's Cricket Ground. 

England vs India: Michael Atherton gives special mention to Team India

"Although home sensibilities will focus, inevitably, on England's final day performance on Monday, which was by far unintelligent and then limp, it was India who left an indelible impression. The ferocity of their play, their will to win, and their skill to carry them through difficult moments, should have removed any doubts about how the Nottingham Test would have finished but for rain. To all intent and purposes, India should be 2-0 up", Michael Atherton wrote in his column for the Telegraph.

England vs India: A look at Kohli & Co.'s performances in this series

The Indian team was in the driver's seat in the series-opener at Trent Bridge, Nottingham. Chasing a target of 209, the visitors needed just 157 runs with nine wickets in hand and an entire day left. However, rain played spoilsport on Day 5 as a result of which the contest was washed out.

Coming back to the second Test match at the 'Mecca' of Cricket Lord's, the hosts had Team India on the mat at 209/8 with a lead of only 189 runs. However, the tail-enders Mohammed Shami & Jasprit Bumrah then stitched in an unbeaten 89-run stand for the ninth wicket as India set England a stiff target of 272 with just two more sessions left in the match which eventually ended being way beyond England's reach.

England snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in the Lord's Test match. When their run chase resumed a victory seemed to be a foregone conclusion by that point in time as all Joe Root & Co. could do was to ensure that the contest ended in a stalemate by batting out the remaining overs which did not happen and they suffered a humiliating 151-run defeat with more than eight overs left in the day's play.

Meanwhile, injury concerns have put the Joe Root-led side in a spot of bother and now, it has been learned that pacer Mark Wood could be ruled out of the match due to a shoulder injury that he had sustained while fielding during the previous Test. England are already without the services of seasoned speedster Stuart Broad as a calf injury has put him out of action for the entire series.