Birmingham: Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja powered India’s revival after James Anderson and Matthew Potts struck for England in the second session on first day of the rescheduled fifth Test at Edgbaston on Friday.
At tea, India are 174/5 in 44 overs, with Pant (53 not out) and Jadeja (32 not out) at the crease for an unbroken 76-run stand for the sixth wicket after the visitors were reduced to 98/5.
After a rain delay of nearly an hour and a half, Potts struck by trapping Hanuma Vihari lbw with a full nip-backer beating the inside edge to hit the pads. He had more elation in his next over when Virat Kohli tried to leave after playing for forward defence. But he was late in withdrawing the bat, which resulted in him chopping on to his stumps off the bottom edge.
Shreyas Iyer was aggressive in his start, taking two boundaries off Potts through a square drive and uppish slash between point and third man. In between, Anderson bothered him with short balls. But Iyer continued to go for the offensive, cover-driving Potts for his third boundary.
Pant also got into the act, dancing down the pitch to drive Anderson down the ground for a boundary. But Iyer, cramped for room, gloved a short ball to leg-side and wicketkeeper Sam Billings dived to his left for completing a stunning one-handed catch.
Pant and Jadeja began the rebuilding job for India by keeping the scoreboard ticking through strike rotation and some exquisite shots. As Anderson and Broad went fuller in their lengths, boundaries came in. Jadeja slammed two glorious on-drives and an eye-catchy off-drive, presenting full face of the bat while Pant brought out a punchy drive through cover.
Jack Leach’s reintroduction in 37th over brought more runs for India as Pant stepped out to drive him through long-off for a boundary. Leach dropped it short on the very next ball and Pant rocked back to pull for another boundary.
Pant brought up the half-century of his association with Jadeja by dancing down the pitch to slam a six down the ground. Six overs and a boundary later, Pant reached his fifty in 51 balls off Leach with a sublime whip coming off the back-foot to beat deep square leg easily to seal the second session in India’s favour.
Brief Scores: India 174/5 in 44 overs (Rishabh Pant 53 not out, Ravindra Jadeja 32 not out; James Anderson 3/41, Matthew Potts 2/29) against England.
(IANS)
