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2nd Test, Day 2: Root, Burns keep England in game after India squander hard-earned advantage

India were in such a good position at the end of the first day’s play that they needed to have a disastrous first session on the second day to given England a sizable opportunity. On cue, they were at it with wickets falling in heap in the first couple of overs of the day itself. The hosts, however, could stop the belligerence of Rishabh Pant and control of Ravindra Jadeja from taking India to an above-par score in the first innings. Later, England’s batsmen could manage to see off the new ball without suffering damage right at the start. However, their stay at the crease could not get very long as Mohammed Siraj produced two consecutive wicket-taking deliveries to bring India back in the game. Centurion of the last game, Joe Root steadied the ship along with Rory Burns, who looked assured around his off stump and batted fluently for is 49. England finished the day 118/3 with Root and Jonny Bairstow remaining unbeatne to keep the game in the balance. Rahane’s jitteriness, Jadeja’s patience After KL Rahul departed in the very first over of the day driving an Ollie Robinson’s half volley straight to cover, there were three men to steer India towards a formidable total in the first innings. One of them and India’s vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane has been at his best in the last few Tests although he got a decent 49 in the World Test Championship final against New Zealand. On the last ball of the first day, he had attempted to drive full delivery from James Anderson in a move that establishes nothing his restlessness at the crease and eagerness to put bat to ball. He was lucky last evening but it cost him his wicket on the very first ball of Anderson on the second day and India had both their unbeaten batsmen back in the pavilion in space of the first seven balls of the day. India were thin in their batting after playing four quicks and it was now or never moment for Jadeja and Rishabh Pant if the side were to have a decent first innings total. Pant played in his usual belligerent style while Jadeja mimicked the control and preciseness of Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul from the first day. He knew that England needed to open one end up to get through to the tailenders and hence shut shop completely as Pant started dazzling England bowlers for runs. He never played a short in anger before taking India to a respectable total and was the last man to be dismissed in search of quick runs while batting with the last man. Siraj’s brilliant length, Kohli’s half-hearted review calls India did not ask Mohammed Siraj to bowl with the new ball as Ishant Sharma over him and Mohammed Shami. However, the England openers were watchful and did not offer their wickets. Kohli switched to Siraj only in the 13th over and he was at his best from the first over. The results came in the second over in the form of Dom Sibley, who has not been able to rectify his woefully messed technique at the crease and a returning Haseeb Hameed on consecutive deliveries. He was getting a nice shape into the right-handers and due to the slowness of the pitch that was not allowing the edges to carry to the slips, he attacked the stumps. He found Root twice in front of the stumps but umpire Michael Gough did not agree on either occasion. Siraj has shown the tendency of getting over-excited and getting emotional with the flow of the game and the trend continued on the second day as he compelled Kohli to waste not one but two reviews. The grumpiness on Kohli after losing the second review showed that he is getting affected by those terrible review calls that he himself is signalling for. Fluent Burns keep England in the game Rory Burns was England’s Man of the Series in the series against New Zealand that preceded the ongoing one against India. However, his inability to follow one good innings with another, and along with his partners’ struggle at the top has not made life easier for the left-hander. However, on the day things were at stake for England in pursuit of matching India’s 364, Burns was back to his watchful and fluent best. He has been blamed for his idiosyncrasies at the crease but once again showed that none of his movements that have been deemed excessive by critics limits his stroke play on the leg side and control outside the off stump. He fell on 49 while trying to nudge Shami off his legs but his calm and reassuring 49 would have helped in calming things down in the hosts’ dressing room after the initial fall of wickets. Looking forward to the third day The game hangs in balance but India have more advantages going into the third day as England batsmen except Root have not been at their best so far in the series. Bairstow looked good in the first Test but he is struggling to convert starts into big ones. Moeen Ali will be back to playing in England after a long gap while Buttler too has had nervous moments so far in the series. The first session on the second day offered most opportunities for the bowlers and India would be relying on their quartet of pacers to knock the hosts over quickly in the first innings. For England, the onus will once again be on Root’s shoulder if they have to stand any chance of coming on par with India’s first innings total. If he fails early, India would be in with a huge chance to gain a significantly superior position in the game.

I never had a role model with which I could identify: Abtaha Maqsood, first Hijab-wearing cricketer in UK

Stereotypes are created by continuous repression of somebody’s desire by societal pressure. Sometimes it takes generations and many interventions to break that, at other times, just the free will of a determined person achieves it in a splash. Abtaha Maqsood, a British Muslim of Pakistani descent, who represents Scotland Women in International cricket and Birmingham Phoenix Women in the inaugural edition of The Hundred seemed to have broken a stereotype by her sheer willpower. A dentistry student from Glassgow, not only does Abtaha became the first woman to wear a Hijab (sacred headscarf worn generally by Muslim women to cover their head) in her international games for Scotland, but she also became the first cricketer to play a game in England and Wales sporting the Hijab. It happened during The Hundred where she has so far played seven games for Phoenix. Talking about this unique feat, the 22-year-old said, "When I was a young kid and I first started wearing the hijab and started playing cricket, it was tough for me back then.” “And now that I'm on this big stage and I feel so comfortable with myself, it just feels amazing to me,” she added in an interview with Sky Cricket. Saying that she didn’t feel she belonged on the biggest stage as she was having problems making her teammates and cricket board understand her needs and limitations, the leggie now feels that things have changed for the better. "Cricket Scotland has learned a lot and now things like halal food, and wearing long-sleeved shirts and stuff like that, not wearing shorts, all that sort of thing is just like second nature to them. They just kind of know now not to give me non-halal food and always to make sure that there is food available for me. We've come really far,” said the bowler who has represented her national team in 18 T20Is and has so far picked up 23 international wickets. Abataha feels that Birmingham Phoenix has been a great experience for her so far. But she focuses on the fact that representation of all ethnicities and all kinds of diversity is necessary for cricket and especially for young children to identify themselves with their role models. "I think representation matters so much. When I was growing up I never really had a role model to look up to who looked exactly like me; I really hope to be that person for a lot of people and I really hope that The Hundred shows me in that light and people are hopefully able to be inspired by that,” she said.

The Hundred | Meet Sonia Odedra: Second South Asian to represent England Women after Isa Guha

It’s not easy to play competitive cricket at the highest level, it gets hard to play it if you are a woman because of the lack of money, and hardest if you are a woman of South Asian descent trying to play the game in the United Kingdom, having very few role models. Similar problems were faced by England International Sonia Odedra, a British Indian woman, whose father tried everything to make her brother an international cricketer, but instead, it was Sonia who went on to represent England. "My dad was a massive cricket fan and he wanted my brother to become a cricketer actually, so all the focus was on him," Sonia was quoted as saying to Sky Cricket. "So I just used to play in the garden with him just casually. And the first game I actually played was at primary school. I got into the boys’ team there and we went on to become school champions,’ she added narrating her childhood story. But the path got a bit blurry after primary school for Sonia. "I remember after that when I went to secondary school, there was no opportunity for girls to play cricket. It was just boys only. So it kind of stopped there," she said. Even without any cricket during her growing up days, Sonia, now 33 years old, never left her dream of playing cricket. "At the age of 20, I decided that I want to play cricket professionally. It was just after I finished my studies and I just thought that this is what I want to do," said the Nottinghamshire Women represent. Odedra, who has represented England Woman in a Women’s Test against Indian Women in 2014 started her journey from Leicester. "My journey started here at the City Cricket Academy (in Leicester). There was a little job advert here and I thought I'd do a part-time job and at the same time train and achieve the goal to play for England." She did achieve the goal. However, she could only play one Test but became only the second Asian Woman after Isa Guha to represent the English Women’s side.

I'm trying to pave the way for young Asian girls: The Hundred’s London Spirit star Naomi Dattani

Among Women of South Asian origin, Naomi Dattani is part of the privileged three who have got professional contracts to represent sides in England and Wales. But the British Indian, Middlesex captain’s way to this height hasn’t been easy one bit. Now playing the inaugural edition of The Hundred (Women’s), Dattani, has to make her way out of an orthodox Indian family in the UK. Although she grew up in Ealing in west London and went to the same Greenford High School as England football star Bukayo Saka, getting into cricket was something that didn’t come her way without a fight. "As I grew up through my 20s the questions around 'when are you getting married?' start coming in, and constantly trying to persuade or challenge those comments became quite tiring,” said the 27-year-old, who had her first senior game for Middlesex as early as 14 years of age. "I think it's been a long journey from playing in the back garden with my older brother smashing my mum's pots and plants everywhere!" the London born added in her interview to Sky Sports News. If the road has been so hard and arduous then why did she take it, when she could have had an easy career in law, medicine and other businesses like many other South Asians. Answering that Dattani says, "It spurs me on to keep going to know that I'm trying to pave the way for young Asian girls so they don't have to face that and they can go through that pathway a lot easier.” One among the 41 women to receive regional domestic contracts this year, the left haded Sunrisers batter is also spreading the idea of being proud of one’s culture without fearing being a minority. Narrating her own story, Dattani says, "I didn't really embrace my culture at that time. I just kind of wanted to fit in with everyone and not really make a big deal about it. But the older I've got, I've realised ... embrace my culture. I'm proud of who I am.” The all-rounder, who has had a decent season with Spirit Women side said how she now makes it a matter of pride that she wears and lives the way she wants to instead of trying to fit in. "I wear a necklace with a Ganesh (the Hindu God known for removing obstacles) that I hold on to every time I play a match. And I'm proud to come from where I come from,” she said. “I want to see people embracing their culture from a young age and not being shy to show it in front of others when they feel like they might be the minority,” added Dattani, whose team currently stands at sixth position on the table, but wins their last two games could well see them getting into the Playoffs by finishing in top three.

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2nd Test, Day 2: Root, Burns keep England in game after India squander hard-earned advantage

I never had a role model with which I could identify: Abtaha Maqsood, first Hijab-wearing cricketer in UK

The Hundred | Meet Sonia Odedra: Second South Asian to represent England Women after Isa Guha

I'm trying to pave the way for young Asian girls: The Hundred’s London Spirit star Naomi Dattani