Boria Majumdar in Leeds
It was a day of missed opportunities for India. If day one was perfect, day two was the classic imperfect day. First, from 430-3, India collapsed to 471 all out. It was a bad collapse, with the last seven wickets falling for a paltry 41 runs. When almost everyone expected the team to score 550 and bat England out of the game, some poor shots and some good English fielding made sure it was not the case. Even then, 471 was a decent enough score, and with the cloud cover over Headingley, the conditions were perfect to bowl.
Jasprit Bumrah, India’s talisman, started superbly when he picked up Zak Crawley. But that was when the spate of mistakes started. First, a vacant fourth slip meant Ollie Pope’s edge went for four. Thereafter, the ever-dependable Ravindra Jadeja dropped what was a fairly easy catch. He got into a tangle and just couldn’t hold on. Ben Duckett, making most of the chance, compiled a quick 50.
Then, the really bad mistake. Soon after Bumrah had removed Duckett, he yet again induced the edge from Pope. This time, the culprit was Yashasvi Jaiswal. The ball flew to him at catchable height, and somehow he managed to fluff it. Bumrah, who was about to celebrate, had his hands on his head in despair. He had done everything but with very little reward.
For More Exciting Articles: Follow RevSportz
And in the last hour, England cut loose. Prasidh Krishna bowled poorly and offered the batters a lot of scoring opportunities to completely release the pressure. Yet again, he wasted a chance that had come his way. Playing ahead of Arshdeep Singh and Akash Deep, it is time Prasidh understood how valuable these opportunities are.
By the end of the day, England were squarely back in the hunt, with only Bumrah’s extraordinary ability preventing them taking control. After snaffling Joe Root late in the day, he should have had Harry Brook too, only for a third no-ball of the over – the one gremlin is his otherwise perfect armoury – to give the batter a reprieve.
So much will depend on the morning session tomorrow. If Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj are able to get some early wickets, India will once again be back in business. But if Prasidh and Shardul Thakur continue to be passengers, it could be a day when Bazball is at its best.
Also Read: Rishabh Pant scores 7th Test ton, surpasses MS Dhoni