<p>Leeds: The Indians continued to fluff the lines for a second day in succession. They dropped routine catches and were stubborn in their short-ball strategy despite leaking a lot of runs, but England too committed some schoolboy errors as the opening Test was left tantalisingly poised here on Sunday.</p>.<p>On another cracking day of Test cricket at a cool and windy Headingley, where fortunes kept fluctuating from one end to another, India, thanks to a fine performance from pace ace Jasprit Bumrah (5/83), managed to bowl out a battling <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/sports/cricket/bumrah-picks-up-fifer-but-england-draw-parity-with-india-by-making-465-all-out-3597746">England for 465</a> in 100.4 overs at tea, taking a slender 6-run lead. England, whose well-set batters kept gifting wickets away on a platter to India, were powered by a pulsating 99 from local lad Harry Brook and cameos from Jamie Smith (40) and Chris Woakes (38).</p>.<p>India actually made the right start to Sunday when Prasidh Krishna dismissed overnight centurion Ollie Pope (106) in the third over of the day. Prasidh, who had been wayward until then and was also creamed for a four and six by Brook in the first over of the day, was fortunate as Pope nicked a nothing delivery straight into the hands of wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant.</p>.Bumrah is world's best, extremely hard to face when he comes in down hill with lights on: Duckett.<p>India though couldn’t capitalise on the good fortune. Although Prasidh ended up bagging three wickets, he bowled way too short way too often that ended up being easy pickings for Brook and Co on a pitch where, barring the odd ball, the bounce was just about waist high. Whether it was Prasidh’s personal intention to bowl short continuously or the team’s strategy considering his tall frame, it is not clear. </p>.<p>What was baffling though was the decision to persist with something that could prove decisive in the overall context of the game. Yes, Prasidh bagged all his three wickets with the short balls, but he ended up being brutally punished by Brook, Smith and Woakes — all three of them hooking, pulling and cutting with disdain. For the record, Prasidh conceded 128 runs in 20 overs.</p>.<p>Another aspect where Indians were off-colour was the fielding, the errors flowing unchecked from Saturday. They dropped two more catches on Sunday, taking their total to four, their highest over the last five years. On a batting-friendly pitch against a set of batters looking only to play the big shots, such errors seldom go unpunished, and India paid for it dearly as Brook took them apart.</p>.<p>The 26-year-old, one of the most exciting batsmen in world cricket, showed his destructive capabilities with a measured innings. Such was his confidence that he didn’t even spare Bumrah, often stepping down the track early in the over to get a boundary and push the premier fast bowler in the world out of his comfort zone. He treated Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh too with utter disdain, and when he was in the middle, it looked like England might surge past 500.</p>.<p>This has been that sort of game so far where every time a team is in total control, they extend a helping hand to the opposition. Brook did that when one run short of what would have been a 9th Test ton. The field was set for the pull, and Prasidh dished out bait. An overconfident Brook fell for it, caught in the deep by Shardul Thakur, the Englishman completely dismayed with himself at the harakiri he had committed.</p>.<p>It was the opening India wanted, and Bumrah, who bowled brilliantly all through the day but was unlucky to not get any scalps, performed the final rites. He scalped the final three batters in his last spell to set the stage for an intriguing evening.</p>.<p><strong>Scoreboard</strong> </p><p>INDIA (I Innings): 471 ENGLAND (I Innings O/n: 209/3): Crawley c Nair b Bumrah 4 (6b 1x4) Duckett b Bumrah 62 (94b 9x4) Pope c Pant b Prasidh 106 (137b 14x4) Root c Nair b Bumrah 28 (58b 2x4) Brook c Thakur b Prasidh 99 (112b 11x4 2x6) Stokes c Pant b Siraj 20 (52b 3x4) Smith c Sudharsan b Prasidh 40 (52b 5x4 1x6) Woakes b Bumrah 38 (55b 3x4 2x6) Carse b Siraj 22 (23b 44) Tongue b Bumrah 11 (18b 2x4) Bashir (not out) 1 (4b) Extras (B-8 LB-18 W-1 NB-7) 34 TOTAL (all out 100.4 overs) 465 Fall of wickets: 1-4 (Crawley) 2-126 (Duckett) 3-206 (Root) 4-225 (Pope) 5-276 (Stokes) 6-349 (Smith) 7-398 (Brook) 8-453 (Barse) 9-460 (Woakes). Bowling: Bumrah 24.4-5-83-5 (nb-4) Siraj 27-0-122-2 (nb-1) Prasidh 20-0-128-3 Jadeja 23-4-68-0 Thakur 6-0-38-0.</p>
<p>Leeds: The Indians continued to fluff the lines for a second day in succession. They dropped routine catches and were stubborn in their short-ball strategy despite leaking a lot of runs, but England too committed some schoolboy errors as the opening Test was left tantalisingly poised here on Sunday.</p>.<p>On another cracking day of Test cricket at a cool and windy Headingley, where fortunes kept fluctuating from one end to another, India, thanks to a fine performance from pace ace Jasprit Bumrah (5/83), managed to bowl out a battling <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/sports/cricket/bumrah-picks-up-fifer-but-england-draw-parity-with-india-by-making-465-all-out-3597746">England for 465</a> in 100.4 overs at tea, taking a slender 6-run lead. England, whose well-set batters kept gifting wickets away on a platter to India, were powered by a pulsating 99 from local lad Harry Brook and cameos from Jamie Smith (40) and Chris Woakes (38).</p>.<p>India actually made the right start to Sunday when Prasidh Krishna dismissed overnight centurion Ollie Pope (106) in the third over of the day. Prasidh, who had been wayward until then and was also creamed for a four and six by Brook in the first over of the day, was fortunate as Pope nicked a nothing delivery straight into the hands of wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant.</p>.Bumrah is world's best, extremely hard to face when he comes in down hill with lights on: Duckett.<p>India though couldn’t capitalise on the good fortune. Although Prasidh ended up bagging three wickets, he bowled way too short way too often that ended up being easy pickings for Brook and Co on a pitch where, barring the odd ball, the bounce was just about waist high. Whether it was Prasidh’s personal intention to bowl short continuously or the team’s strategy considering his tall frame, it is not clear. </p>.<p>What was baffling though was the decision to persist with something that could prove decisive in the overall context of the game. Yes, Prasidh bagged all his three wickets with the short balls, but he ended up being brutally punished by Brook, Smith and Woakes — all three of them hooking, pulling and cutting with disdain. For the record, Prasidh conceded 128 runs in 20 overs.</p>.<p>Another aspect where Indians were off-colour was the fielding, the errors flowing unchecked from Saturday. They dropped two more catches on Sunday, taking their total to four, their highest over the last five years. On a batting-friendly pitch against a set of batters looking only to play the big shots, such errors seldom go unpunished, and India paid for it dearly as Brook took them apart.</p>.<p>The 26-year-old, one of the most exciting batsmen in world cricket, showed his destructive capabilities with a measured innings. Such was his confidence that he didn’t even spare Bumrah, often stepping down the track early in the over to get a boundary and push the premier fast bowler in the world out of his comfort zone. He treated Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh too with utter disdain, and when he was in the middle, it looked like England might surge past 500.</p>.<p>This has been that sort of game so far where every time a team is in total control, they extend a helping hand to the opposition. Brook did that when one run short of what would have been a 9th Test ton. The field was set for the pull, and Prasidh dished out bait. An overconfident Brook fell for it, caught in the deep by Shardul Thakur, the Englishman completely dismayed with himself at the harakiri he had committed.</p>.<p>It was the opening India wanted, and Bumrah, who bowled brilliantly all through the day but was unlucky to not get any scalps, performed the final rites. He scalped the final three batters in his last spell to set the stage for an intriguing evening.</p>.<p><strong>Scoreboard</strong> </p><p>INDIA (I Innings): 471 ENGLAND (I Innings O/n: 209/3): Crawley c Nair b Bumrah 4 (6b 1x4) Duckett b Bumrah 62 (94b 9x4) Pope c Pant b Prasidh 106 (137b 14x4) Root c Nair b Bumrah 28 (58b 2x4) Brook c Thakur b Prasidh 99 (112b 11x4 2x6) Stokes c Pant b Siraj 20 (52b 3x4) Smith c Sudharsan b Prasidh 40 (52b 5x4 1x6) Woakes b Bumrah 38 (55b 3x4 2x6) Carse b Siraj 22 (23b 44) Tongue b Bumrah 11 (18b 2x4) Bashir (not out) 1 (4b) Extras (B-8 LB-18 W-1 NB-7) 34 TOTAL (all out 100.4 overs) 465 Fall of wickets: 1-4 (Crawley) 2-126 (Duckett) 3-206 (Root) 4-225 (Pope) 5-276 (Stokes) 6-349 (Smith) 7-398 (Brook) 8-453 (Barse) 9-460 (Woakes). Bowling: Bumrah 24.4-5-83-5 (nb-4) Siraj 27-0-122-2 (nb-1) Prasidh 20-0-128-3 Jadeja 23-4-68-0 Thakur 6-0-38-0.</p>