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England 'in a good place' after eventful second day, says Crawley

Zak Crawley put his poor form behind him as England enjoyed a fruitful second day of the fourth Test against India.

Zak Crawley believes England are "in a good place" two days into the fourth Test against India, having reached stumps 133 runs behind with eight wickets in hand.

England are looking to wrap up a first red-ball series victory over India since 2018, having taken a 2-1 lead into the fourth Test, and they put themselves in a commanding position on Thursday.

Captain Ben Stokes completed a five-wicket haul – the first by an England skipper in a home Test since Bob Willis versus New Zealand at Headingley in 1983 – as India were bowled out for 358.

That score was helped by Rishabh Pant making 54, his ninth score of 50-plus in England, while playing with a suspected foot fracture that saw him leave the field on a golf cart on day one.

England then set about cutting into the deficit before stumps, with Crawley sharing a 166-run partnership with Ben Duckett as they reached 225-2.

Crawley, who fell for 84 with Duckett following for 94, believes the hosts are now in an excellent position to wrap up the series.

He told BBC Test Match Special: "We're in a good place, I'm very happy. I'm happy with the way I played, although obviously you always want more. 

"It was great batting with Ducky out there and putting some pressure on them. We were really enjoying it.

"I wasn't premeditating as much in my mind, I was just playing each ball on merit. I felt much more relaxed out there and put myself in a good headspace.

"It looks like the pitch is going to get worse and worse. We just want to bat well and get a lead. It's going to be tricky in the fourth innings, it's going to be tricky for them as well."

Crawley has struggled for form for much of the series, with Thursday's score his best in red-ball cricket since he made 124 against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge in May.

He followed that knock up with a score of 65 in England's first innings in the opening Test at Headingley, but then failed to score above 22 in any of his next five innings. 

"It's difficult. When you're short of runs, there's a lot of things going through your head," Crawley said.

"That's always what you strive for, a clear head and not too much going on there. I managed to do that today and the more you do it, the better.

"I love batting with Ducky, he's a phenomenal player and we have a laugh out there but also, we're talking about the game. I really enjoying batting with him and enjoy spending time off the field with him, he's a great guy."

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