Bumrah picks up fifer but England draw parity with India by making 465 all out

Leeds: India and England continued to trade blows in equal measure in typically demanding Headingley conditions as the engrossing opening Test lay perfectly in the balance following a day of fluctuating fortunes here on Sunday.

First, it was England’s chance to take control of the Test that hasn’t had a dull moment so far. With overnight centurion Ollie Pope and Harry Brook, one of the most exciting all-format young batters in the world, resuming England’s innings at 209/3, the stage was set for them to dish out the high-octane Bazball and punish India for not making their opportunity count with the bat.

England, despite being let off the hook by the sloppy Indians multiple times, couldn’t really capitalise and managed to post 465 all out to trail by six runs. Pope could only add 6 more runs to his overnight 100 while Brook fell for a pulsating 99, England’s innings bolstered by cameos from Jamie Smith (40) and Chris Woakes (38).

Then came the second chance for India but this time it was far more challenging than being asked to bat first on opening day. The sun of the opening day was replaced by cold and wind. The fresh pitch that was a batting beauty had suffered its fair share of wear and tear, and with odd ball spitting venom, it was a complete test of character.

India got a foretaste of it when first innings centurion Yashasvi Jaiswal was dismissed for 4 in the fourth over. England bowlers were licking their lips but KL Rahul (47 batting) and debutant Sai Sudharsan (30) fought bravely. They nicely mixed caution with aggression to ensure the scoreboard kept on ticking and they weren’t under any undue pressure. But just when it appeared the duo would carry India home safely, Sudharsan departed following a loose stroke. A spell of rain then arrived and India took stumps at 90/2.

Although India are still very much in the game, they’ll have a lot of circumspection to do with their performance on the field. They dropped two more regulation catches on the day, taking their tally to four — then most by an Indian side in the last five years.

The bowling, barring the brilliant Jasprit Bumrah (5/83) who bagged his 14th five-wicket haul in his 46th Test, was largely ordinary to say the least. Prasidh Krishna kept dishing out plenty of short balls while Mohammed Siraj blew hot and cold, the duo unable to counter Brook who methodically tore them apart.

Brook was simply outstanding on the day as he 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. The way he was hammering the Indian bowlers, it looked like he and Woakes would carry England past 500.

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’d committed.

It was the opening India wanted, and Bumrah, who bowled brilliantly all through the day but was unlucky not to get any scalps, read the final rites. He scalped the final three batters in his last spell, adding more halo to his aura around him.

SCOREBOARD

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.

INDIA (II Innings):

Jaiswal c Smith b Carse 4

(11b, 1x4)

Rahul (batting) 47

(75b, 7x4)

Sudharsan c Crawley b Stokes 30

(48b, 4x4)

Gill (batting) 6

(10b, 1x4)

Extras (LB-1, NB-1, W-1) 3

TOTAL (for 2 wkts, 23.5 overs) 90

Fall of wickets: 1-16 (Jaiswal), 2-82 (Sudharsan).

Bowling: Woakes 6-2-18-0 (nb-1), Carse 5-0-27-1, Tongue 5-0-15-0, Bashir 2.5-1-11-0, Stokes 5-1-18-1.