England bowling coach Jon Lewis defends batsmen

CHENNAI: England bowling coach Jon Lewis, on Monday, defended his batsmen's approach in the post-tea session on the fourth day of the opening Test against India, saying accelerating wasn't easy on a 'tricky' Chepauk pitch.

"The guys were positive in the way they played. I don't think it is a straightforward pitch where you can be reckless to score. But, we were very comfortable with the number of overs we wanted to bowl on Monday," he said when asked about the decision to not declare early.

"We will try to have a bite with the second new ball if possible on Tuesday. We are comfortable with where we are at in the game," Lewis told reporters during a virtual media interaction after the day's play.

Replying to another question on whether he thought 419 was enough and if England would have liked more time to bowl at the Indians, he said the batsmen played positively with an intent to score, and accelerating wasn't easy.

"The pitch is good but tricky. Accelerating against India in India isn't always straightforward. The guys played positively with intent to score, but within the constraints of the conditions," Lewis added. Agencies

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