By Vivek Prabhakar Singh

Birmingham [UK], July 20 (ANI): Former India cricketer Suresh Raina has backed Team India to script a historic comeback and win the ongoing Test series in England, despite their narrow loss at Lord's in the third Test. Raina said the current side has the 'desire, perseverance and determination' to turn the series around.

The fourth Test will be played at Old Trafford in Manchester from July 23. India are currently 1-2 down in the five-match series after losing the third Test at Lord's by just 22 runs, despite a fighting effort by the tailenders and Ravindra Jadeja while chasing 193.

Though the scoreline favours England, India has dominated much of the series, especially with the bat.

Speaking to ANI, Raina said, 'India won, then India lost, then won, then lost (talking about sessions during the Test series). But Shubman Gill as a player, has done well. He has scored runs. Washington Sundar has done well. Jasprit Bumrah, I think his bowling was outstanding.'

'Then we saw how KL Rahul batted, offered some solidity as an opener and got good support from Yashasvi Jaiswal. Then Rishabh Pant, he has batted so differently and his wicketkeeping has been great,' he added.

Throwing his support behind the young, Gill-led Indian team, Raina said he believes the side can win the remaining two Tests and clinch the series 3-2.

'They will do it. They have that sense of desire, perseverance and determination. Gill will make his mark, as a batter and as a captain. I think he has done really well,' he concluded.

So far, Gill is the leading run-getter in the series with 607 runs in six innings at an average of 101.16, with three centuries and best score of 269. He has got fine support from Pant (425 runs in six innings with two centuries and two fifties), KL (375 runs in six innings with two centuries and a fifty), Ravindra Jadeja (327 runs in six innings with four fifties) and Jaiswal (233 runs in six innings with a century and fifty each).

Among the bowlers, Mohammed Siraj (13 wickets at an average of 32.00 with a six-wicket haul) and Jasprit Bumrah (12 wickets at an average of two five-wicket hauls) have been the top wicket-takers.

Talking about his participation in the ongoing World Championships of Legends (WCL) season two, Raina said, 'It is a very competitive tournament... Last year we became the champions (by beating Pakistan in the final) so we hope we perform well this time as well. The team is well-balanced... It's a new kind of tournament for fans and we hope to entertain everyone.'

Notably, the organisers of the WCL have officially called of the India-Pakistan match and apologised for hurting sentiments and hopes of people. The match was set for Sunday Birmingham. This comes amid tensions between both nations politically.

In its statement WCL said that It had announced the India-Pak fixture after a recent volleyball match between the two countries to create happy memories for fans.

The tournament says that this may have ended up hurting the feelings of many and caused discomfort to the Indian legends. In the wake of this a decision to call off the fixture was taken. WCL further apologised for hurting sentiments.

Earlier, several Indian players like Suresh Raina and Shikhar Dhawan also informed the media that they would not be playing the India-Pakistan game. Sources also say some other players in the India line-up have also taken a similar stance.

In a post on X, Dhawan shared an email written to the tournament orgainsers where he said that the decision to not play Pakistan had been communicated to the organisers on May 11. The email said that the decision to not play Pakistan was taken in consideration of the current geo-political situation.

In his post Dhawan said, 'Jo kadam 11 May ko liya, uspe aaj bhi waise hi khada hoon. Mera desh mere liye sab kuch hai, aur desh se badhkar kuch nahi hota. (I standby the decision I took on May 11. My country is everything for me and nothing is bigger than the country)'

One of the tournament sponsors, Travel-tech Portal EaseMyTrip also released an official statement regarding its sponsorship of the WCL. The company clarified its stance, stating that despite entering into a 5-year sponsorship agreement with WCL two years ago, it will not associate with or participate in any match involving Pakistan.

The travel tech platform emphasised that its position has always been clear. EaseMyTrip supports the India Champions and stands firmly by the team. However, the company maintains that it does not support or promote any match that includes Pakistan.EaseMyTrip reaffirmed its commitment to Team India, expressing its desire to see the cup brought home.

On Sunday, in a post on X, EaseMyTrip wrote, 'Despite entering into a 5-year sponsorship agreement with the World Championship of Legends (WCL) two years ago, our stance has always been clear--EaseMyTrip will not be associated with or participate in any WCL match involving Pakistan. We proudly continue to support the India Champions and stand firmly by our team. However, as a matter of principle, we do not support or promote any match that includes Pakistan. This position was communicated unambiguously to the WCL team from the beginning. EaseMyTrip supports Team India, but will not engage in any match featuring Pakistan. Let's bring the cup home. Bharat First. Always.'

Scheduled to be held from July 18 to August 2 across Birmingham, Northampton, Leicester, and Leeds, WCL 2025 brings together the heroes of yesteryears in a summer spectacle sanctioned by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). (ANI)