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Eng Vs Ind 3Rd Test Day 1 Virat Kohlis Men Blown Away For Third Lowest Total In England

ENG vs IND | 3rd Test, Day 1: Virat Kohli's men blown away for third-lowest total in England

India were blown away inside the first two sessions on the first day of the third Test against England in Leeds after the skipper Virat Kohli opted to bat first. They were wiped out for 78 as all almost all batsmen were guilty of throwing their wickets away.

It was their third-lowest total in Tests in England and eighth-lowest in their overall history of the longest format of the game.

The day started on a disastrous note as James Anderson ripped the heart out of their batting lineup by eliminating the trio of KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli. He bowled eight overs on the trot and broke the back of India’s batting group.

Things went from bad to worse for the tourists as Ajinkya Rahane, who worked hard to get his eye in, poked at a widish delivery off Ollie Robinson to walk back on what turned out to be the last ball before Lunch.

The onus was on Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant, but the wicketkeeper was guilty of playing a needless shot outside his off stump. India’s hopes were lying on the shoulders of Jadeja and Rohit, but the latter once again got out trying to pull a short delivery, this time off Craig Overton.

There was no resistance from tailenders and India slipped from 67/5 to 67/9 and as soon as Sam Curran trapped Jadeja in front of his stumps, the writing was on the wall for India.

The collapse of the batting order will come as a reality check for Virat Kohli’s India after a high at Lord’s.

Anderson and Overton picked up three wickets each while Curran and Robinson divided equally among themselves from the remaining four.

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Sunil Gavaskar attacks Nasser Hussain, says India don't 'moan' about pitches

Indian batting legend Sunil Gavaskar was in a relentless mood during the Sony Sports Network's pre-match broadcast of the third Test between India and England in Leeds as he lashed out at Nasser Hussain during a tricky interaction. He appeared miffed with a column written by the former England captain who had written that the current Indian team led by Virat Kohli will not be bullied by any sort of aggression as their predecessors were. Hussain’s opinion on previous generations of Indian cricketers did not go down too well for the first little master of the game. He asked a reasonable clarification about the opinion from Hussain and reminded the series wins in 1986 and 1996 against what he called “better English sides”. He was also not happy with the English press and former cricketers repetitively questioning the quality of pitches in the Test series between India and England earlier this year. He had rebuked them saying “chal fut”, meaning go away with your opinions. Now, on the verge of the third Test in Leeds, Gavaskar reiterated that the Indian team have not “moaned” about the extra assistance on offer for pacers. He said that the pitches in Nottingham and Lord's were fairly green for pacers but they have taken it upon themselves to fight out the tough conditions.

Fresh from Lord's verbal battles, James Anderson leads England fightback in Leeds

After engaging and losing verbal battles with Indian players in the second Test at Lord’s, James Anderson looked determined to answer India’s sledging with the ball in hand. He was at his very best right from the start of the third Test at Headingley and deceived the in-form batsman KL Rahul with the one that nipped away, even before he could get off the mark. He followed it up with another big wicket of Cheteshwar Pujara, who too got sucked into playing at one he should have left. He was lured by incoming deliveries one after another before the champion pacer swung one away from him while bowling from wide of the crease. He then got the big fish, Indian skipper Virat Kohli, forcing him to drive at a fuller ball, just moving away, a bit too late from him. With three wickets, he was bursting with energy and bowled brilliantly in his eight-over spell in the morning session. India fielded an unchanged playing XI from the one that played and triumphed at Lord’s while England made two changes in Dawid Malan, who replaced struggling Dom Sibley, and Craig Overton, who replaced an injured Mark Wood. Virat Kohli finally won his first toss after losing eight consecutive tosses and decided to bat first. England skipper Joe Root did not mind the opportunity to bowl first on a fresh Headingley pitch and Anderson vindicated his stance with two early wickets. India are 1-0 up in the five-match long series after a spirited win at the Home of Cricket.