Leeds: Pacer Josh Tongue led a strong fightback from England’s bowlers to end up with a four-wicket haul as the hosts bowled out India for 471 on Day Two of the first Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy Test at Headingley on Saturday.
At one point, India looked to reach at least a score between 500 and 600 when they were placed at 430/3, with Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant batting on centuries each. But India lost their last seven wickets for 41 runs, as England triggered a stunning slide to dismiss them for a score below 500, with Tongue picking 4-86.
For India, it would be slightly underwhelming to end at a score below 500 after three of the top five batters made centuries, and they will be very keen to make good use of these bowling conditions, especially with fast-bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah at the helm.
What will also help India is the overcast conditions, due to light rain and thunderstorm predictions for the afternoon, with the hover cover coming on the field after their innings was over. But with the players walking off the field after coming on initially as the drizzle’s intensity increased, it means there will be a delayed start to England’s first innings.
In the morning, resuming on 395/3, India’s great batting show continued with captain Shubman Gill’s career-best 147 and vice-captain Rishabh Pant’s astonishing 134. Despite that, India had a first session of two halves – 53/0 before the drinks break was taken. By then, Pant had hit his seventh Test century and gone past MS Dhoni (six) for the most Test centuries hit by an Indian wicketkeeper.
The flamboyant Pant’s third Test hundred in England, laced with magnificence and madness in stroke-play in equal measure, is a feat no other visiting keeper has achieved before. But after the drinks break, India lost four wickets, including both centurions Gill and Pant.
Gill got Day Two underway with a gorgeous extra cover drive off Chris Woakes for four before Pant pulled and steered Brydon Carse for boundaries, despite missing a hack down the ground off the pacer. The duo continued to trade in boundaries, as Pant went into the 90s with a falling scoop off Shoaib Bashir for four, before walloping him for six.
Pant then stepped out to heave Bashir for a one-handed six over midwicket to bring up his enthralling century off 146 deliveries and celebrated with his signature somersault, a skill he picked up from undergoing gymnastics practice in his growing-up years.
Pant then brought up 200 runs of his stand with Gill when he managed to clear long-off for six off Bashir before the 209-run partnership was snapped by the off-spinner when the Indian captain holed out to deep square leg, as he fell for a classy 147.
Pant’s fun continued when he creamed Stokes for four, and slog-swept Bashir for six, before pulling off the England captain for another boundary. But from the other end, Karun Nair’s comeback to the Test team after eight years lasted just four balls as he reached out to a wide ball off Stokes, and Ollie Pope at cover took a brilliant leaping catch to dismiss him for a duck.
With some reverse swing on offer, Pant was troubled by inswingers from Josh Tongue, before shouldering arms to a sharp nip-backer from around the wicket and was trapped lbw right in front of the stumps. Soon after, Shardul Thakur slashed Stokes behind to wicketkeeper Jamie Smith at the stroke of lunch, as England walked off with a smile on their face.
Shortly after lunch, Tongue lured Jasprit Bumrah into the drive, and the outside edge was caught by a second slip. Tongue came back to cramp Ravindra Jadeja for room and succeeded, as the left-handed batter chopped onto his stumps, before he castled Prasidh Krishna to ensure India’s innings was wrapped up in 23 minutes of the second session.
Brief scores:
India 471 all out in 113 overs (Shubman Gill 147, Rishabh Pant 134; Ben Stokes 4-66, Josh Tongue 4-86) against England
(IANS)
