Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy: India's fight for ascendency intensifies

Birmingham: Yashasvi Jaiswal continued his love affair with England, but his dismissal against the run of play just before tea left India with a lot of fighting to do on the opening day of the second Test here at Edgbaston on Wednesday.

Looking good for a second straight century and fourth versus England of a burgeoning career, the 23-year-old Jaiswal chased an innocuous delivery from England skipper Ben Stokes half an hour before tea to fall for a well-crafted 87. Skipper Shubman Gill and his deputy Rishabh Pant, however, fought through till tea without any damage as India reached 182/3 in 53 overs.

Up until his dismissal, though, Jaiswal showed what a fantastic young talent he is and why many consider him one of the future superstars of Indian cricket. Asked to take the first strike by Stokes on an overcast morning which turned sunny after an hour, Jaiswal and his opening partner K L Rahul were put through the grinder by pacers Chris Woakes and Josh Tongue in a hostile first hour.

Both Woakes and Tongue, operating in the best bowling conditions, were right on the money and got the ball to zip around. Woakes was almost unplayable as he got the ball to move both ways, while Tongue kept a tight leash, ensuring pressure was high from both ends. There were some close calls too, especially when Woakes was operating; a wicket looked like falling anytime despite Rahul and Jaiswal defending well.

Rahul, following a couple of close LBW calls, departed to Woakes in the 9th over when he inside-edged the right-armer onto his stumps. It was a just reward for the 36-year-old fast bowler who did everything right at his home ground that was packed to the rafters even before a ball was bowled.

Jaiswal, who was very watchful during the probing first hour and gave Woakes and Tongue all the respect they needed, started to open his shoulders post that along with Karun Nair (31), who himself was promoted to No. 3 after India strangely decided to drop Sai Sudharsan for the sake of team combination. Nair looked completely confident from the moment he strode out, his cover drives being a thing of beauty.

At the other end, Jaiswal drove, cut and pulled with gay abandon. He figured exactly which balls to attack and when they weren’t there to be hit, he showed superb presence of mind to play with soft hands and steal those quick singles to keep the scoreboard ticking. With even Nair too being extremely precise with his shot selection and running between the wickets, the duo looked on course for a big partnership as the pitch completely flattened out under the sharp sunshine.

England, like in the opening Test where they somehow found a way to hit back when the tide was going against them, struck just six minutes before lunch, ensuring the meal would be a hearty one. Brydon Carse got the ball to kick off from a length and Nair, completely flummoxed, ended up edging to Harry Brook at slip.

England repeated the same, this time half an hour before tea as Jaiswal and Gill (42), centurions in the first innings, forged a near chance-less partnership. The duo barely looked in any discomfort and the way they were going about their business, they looked like repeating the Leeds heroics. But Stokes, who has the knack of breaking partnerships, did so with a dolly that left Jaiswal dumbstruck. Stokes was ecstatic, and so were England to see the back of a batter who has a fondness for them. It’s up to Gill and Pant to power India to a competitive total on what looks like a batting paradise.