The England-India Test series continued to have its share of ebbs and flows, with Day One of the second Test turning out to be a hard-fought contest between the two sides. Yashasvi Jaiswal’s unbeaten 179 was the highlight of the day’s play and it was his innings that kept India in the game. The hosts were 336 for 6 at stumps.
A slew of Indian batters made starts but couldn’t convert it into big scores. Only Jaiswal was able to stamp his authority. The southpaw also showcased the right gears throughout his innings. At the fall of Rohit Sharma’s wicket, Jaiswal was undefeated on 26 off 64 deliveries. It was only around the time he reached his fifty that Jaiswal opened up his shoulders, cracking Shoaib Bashir, the Test debutant, for a six and a four.
After the lunch break, he gave a fine exhibition of driving and lofting and completed his hundred with a six off Tom Hartley. He aptly celebrated the milestone by removing his helmet and blowing a kiss to the heavens. Even after Shreyas Iyer, his batting partner, was dismissed, he forged another useful stand of 70 with Rajat Patidar. The latter looked quite assured at the crease on his Test debut, before like a couple of his teammates, he was out to a rather soft dismissal off Rehan Ahmed.
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Jaiswal, though, didn’t lose his concentration and punished almost every loose delivery on offer. At the fag end of the day, England picked up a couple more wickets – Axar Patel and KS Bharat – but couldn’t find a way against Jaiswal. The left-handed batter also went past the 150-run mark with a cut off Joe Root. One of the key features of Jaiswal’s batting was the way he picked the length versus the spinners.
Meanwhile, four of the five English bowlers shared the wickets between them. In the final session, Rehan found some purchase and took a couple of wickets. Bashir, the tall off-spinner, extracted a bit of turn at pace.
James Anderson, the veteran pace bowler, was at his miserly best, going at under two runs per over. He could have bowled a tad fuller in his first spell, when he beat the bat time and again. But the experienced seamer does have a habit of shortening his length a touch and beating the bat often. Tom Hartley bagged the other wicket to fall.
India won a good toss in the morning. As of now, the conditions are very good for batting, but as the match progresses, there could be more help for the spinners. The pitch is also offering some bounce.
IND vs ENG | Day 1: Live Discussion https://t.co/o5UBEzjuph
— Boria Majumdar (@BoriaMajumdar) February 2, 2024