1st Test, Day 2 report: James Anderson halts India's dominance before rain plays spoilsport

If throwing away massive opportunity from the position of a lion in a game would have been an art, this Indian batting order under the leadership of Virat Kohli should be top-rated artists of it.

Having started the day from 21/0 and then to 97/0 just before the lunch break, India gave a stiff competition to England in terms of collapse and slipped to 125/4 by the time rain arrived to frustrate both sides.

Rohit’s familiar undoing

Rohit Sharma was showing immense composure around his off stump, and even though he could not trap England bowlers to bowl straight to him, he was solid in his crease.

He was mindful of England’s eagerness to induce him into driving through off side, and he did not take the bait for the longes part of his batting. The right-hander was looking set for a big one, but as they say, England’s newest talisman Ollie Robison tested the bounce off the pitch.

Just minutes before his short ball to Rohit, Sky Sports commentators were discussing if England were one-dimensional in their approach and should they try short ball against Indian openers.

On cue, Robinson got one to bounce high to Rohit’s right shoulder, and an impulsive hooker that Rohit is, hooked him straight to Sma Curran at deep square leg boundary to end yet another impressive innings that could well have been a career-defining one.

It was not the first time Rohit went back to the pavilion in that manner. Earlier in the year, he had hooked Pat Cummins just minutes before the scheduled close of play to hand over the advantage to Australia.

Rohit would do well to remember that getting starts in English conditions are the most difficult task for openers in Test cricket, and he should not be throwing his hard work and patience just for the poor application of shots.

He should learn to deny himself the opportunity to go all guns blazing after picking up a short ball, and he would do well to remind himself that if only providing good platforms to the side was enough to leave a legacy, Cheteshwar Puajra would not have faced such critical observation every now and then.

KL Rahul’s resurrection

While Rohit threw away a good start and initial hard work, KL Rahul was in no mood to let go of the chance that came his way based on luck. He was watchful around his off stump and their discipline compelled former England captain Andrew Strauss to say that “Indian batsmen are good to be watched at for a whole day”.

He was vigilant but started cutting loose after the first hour of the day. He was eager to put bowlers under pressure and took full toll of over pitched deliveries from desperate England pacers.

Sam Curran, used all the variations of his angle, to test his application, but after scoring crisp boundaries and regaining control around off stump, Rahul was ready with the front foot down the pitch of the ball to drive him down the ground and through the cover.

He remained not out and his stay and score will dictate how far India will go in the game before unleashing Bumrah and Shami on the England batting group.

Anderson wins first bout against Kohli

Kohli was welcomed with resounding reception as a full house Trent Bride could sense what was coming. The duo has had a compelling history to excite fans of the game and the scrip did not look any different.

Anderson was all over Kohli in the 2014 series, while the Indian skipper bounced back strongly in the next series in 2018. The contest between them started at a critical juncture of the game as England were looking to snatch the momentum back from India.

The contest went fully in Anderson’s favour as an outstanding first delivery from the pacer drew Kohli reaching out away from his off stump and the ball caught the edge of his bat to leave England cock-a-hoop.

Unarguably the most tenacious bowler to have ever played the game, Anderson brought England ahead in the game with two big wickets of Cheteshwar Pujara and Vira Kohli on two consecutive balls.

Looking ahead to the third day

The forecast for the third day does not seem to be too good compared to the second day of the game where the game was reduced to just one and a half sessions.

However, if England would be able to see the back of one among Rahul or Rishabh Pant, they would feel confident of taking the first-innings lead.

India would bank on Pant’s methods to cut down the current defect of 58 runs as quickly as possible and then building a lead over it to put the fragile England batting order under serious pressure.

Rahul’s composed presence at the crease will be critical for India as he can shift his gears according to changing situations of the game, and some half an hour of successful aggressive cricket can turn the tide back in India’s favour.