clever old man James Anderson Found his “bunny” once again Virat Kohli In a spellbinding spell that left India on a solid opening stand to post 125 for four against England on the rain-hit second day of India’s first Test. The 39-year-old Anderson (13.4-7-15-2) turned it in England’s favor with a consistently accurate delivery. Cheteshwar Pujara (4) and Virat Kohli (0) went from 97 for no loss as India rolled to 112 for four in less than six overs. KL Rahul (57* off 151 balls) still stands amidst the ruins with Rishabh Pant (7*) but the advantage India got in the opening session was neutralized by Anderson’s spell and the pressure also led to an unfortunate run Gave. Ajinkya Rahane (5).
Rahul’s classy Test match batting will surely come as a relief to the Indian team management as the talented Karnataka batsman lost his spot in the longest formats due to a long patchy patch. He could also have been Anderson’s third victim but was dropped at slips, his only batting glitch that day.
The nine fours, mostly drives, were majestic and his mind control was exemplary when selecting bad balls in bad conditions.
But Anderson won on the day the pacer equaled Anil Kumble’s record of 619 wickets in most Test matches (163th game). After fooling the Indian captain once again in the corridor of uncertainty, he equaled Kumble’s record.
It was a fuller delivery that Kohli played for the inswinger, but it held his line in Jos Buttler’s gloves to take a healthy lead. Both Kohli and Anderson would come to terms with what happened in 2014.
A ball earlier, the artist was at work as he was shaping Pujara in the air, but was distracted when he pushed Buttler to take a low catch.
The manner of getting out is sure to add to the web in Pujara’s mind as this series is definitely going to have an impact on his international future. Any batsman could have been out with the ball but Pujara’s short stay of 17 minutes in 16 balls indicated that he was under a lot of pressure.
He could have been dismissed earlier by Ollie Robinson (15-5-32-1) when he joined hands for a straight delivery but the height factor came to his rescue. However, the Indian team’s best opening stand in recent tours of England before Rohit Sharma (36 off 107 balls) was a now familiar trend known to him at the stroke of lunch.
The opening pair did well to keep the four-pronged home team’s attack away, but Rohit’s attempt to send Robinson’s short ball past the square leg boundary didn’t work as he threw it hard. . This partnership certainly put England on the back-foot, as at times a deep point was deployed to block the flow of boundaries. He patiently waited out the loose balls and played some delightful drives, keeping the scoreboard ticking with Rahul combining his caution and aggression to remain equally undefeated.
His game plan was simple and that was to watch the first hour with minimal risk. Rohit especially showed off his technical skills behind the moving balls. He was ready to play the waiting game, something that absolutely doesn’t characterize him, showing how badly he wants to get a significant score in exotic conditions. But when the opportunity presented itself, he showed Robinson why he was so highly rated among his teammates with a brilliant back-drive and the ability to slide his bat between point and alley when necessary. Opened to flick one from his hips.
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Rahul, who came into the match with runs behind his back, was on 11 off his first 60 balls but then hit some brilliant squares and cover drives when the ball stopped spinning after the 30-over mark. He understood that he had to speed up the game and did the same during the last 45 minutes.
Once Sam Curran came into the bowling, his lack of express pace helped him as the two went ahead with a clear front-press to defeat the off-side cordon. Although on the third day, they will probably have to start afresh after several interruptions in the game and get a big one.
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