England defy Bumrah, Pant magic through Pope's hundred to reach 209/3 on Day 2
Leeds:
Jasprit Bumrah
displayed his spine-tingling genius after
Rishabh Pant
unfurled an audacious hundred, but England batters, led by centurion
Ollie Pope
, produced their own parade to reach 209 for three at the end of the second day of the first Test here Saturday.
Pope (100 batting) and Harry Brook (0) were at crease when the stumps were drawn with England whittling down India's lead to 262 after the visitors made 471 in their first innings.
Brook would certainly thank his stars as a pull off Bumrah, which was caught by
Mohammed Siraj
, was adjudged no-ball in the last over of the day.
It was a sliver of example how the Indian pacer tormented the hosts' batters.
England did not quite solve the Bumrah puzzle but they showed enough spunk to bat through the storm.
Live Events
Pope can be a lovely batter to watch in full flow, but here the Surrey man sussed up the conditions and the general quality of the attack to a nicety to tweak his batting.
Once he survived a massive shout for leg-before perpetuated by Mohammed Siraj, relying mainly on his bottom hand to collect runs with cuts and dabs through point, gully regions.
Pope came to the middle when Bumrah was bowling in a charged atmosphere after he consumed opener Zak Crawley (4) in the first over itself with a peach in a wonderful exhibition of fast bowling.
Crawley never looked settled, producing edges in his first three balls, and the fourth one proved lethal. The delivery took the outside edge of the right-hander's bat, grazed on his thigh pad and eventually nestled in Karun Nair's hands at first slip.
Pope's partner
Ben Duckett
(62 off 94 balls), with whom he added 122 runs for the second wicket, had big slices of fortunes too.
He was dropped on 15 by Ravindra Jadeja at backward point off Bumrah, but the England batters were good enough to put those thorny moments behind them to cash in on the profligacy of Bumrah's colleagues in the pace department.
Siraj and Prasidh Krishna, a hard length bowler, were eager to discover the mandatory fuller length in England, but they overreached in their effort, often giving ample space and width for batters to make some risk-free runs.
Just as the alliance was swelling, Bumrah, who was used in short, sharp bursts, returned for his third spell, and he induced an inside edge off Duckett to halt England's free walk.
It was also slightly perplexing to see India skipper Shubhman Gill delaying the introduction of
Shardul Thakur
into the attack, which eventually happened in the 34th over.
The move did not give any noticeable lift to India's bowling unit, and the visitors also watched in dejection of the leg-before decision against Joe Root off Siraj overturned via DRS.
But that did not deter Pope as he reached his ninth Test hundred with a cheeky single off Bumrah as sun-washed Headingley greeted the fourth hundred-maker in two days.
However, Bumrah returned at the right time to nick off Root to end a threatening 80-run stand for the third wicket.
But before Bumrah made an instant impression, another Indian player thrilled the Leeds crowd as Pant's seventh Test hundred was soaked in brilliance and impudence.
Once India resumed from overnight 359 for three, they needed Pant and Gill to carry on from previous day's point.
They showed intent too as the Indian captain motored onto 147, his highest score in Tests, and milked 209 runs for the fourth wicket with his deputy.
Pant was at his entertaining best, starting his cavalier ways with a stunning falling paddle off spinner Bashir behind stumper Jamie Smith, a la West Indian legend Rohan Kanhai.
A six over mid-wicket off spinner Shoaib Bashir carried him to 94, and the 90s is a rather troubled territory for Pant as he was dismissed seven times in Tests on that score in his career.
So, it was not really surprising to see him taking singles until he reached 99.
Pant then decided not to waste too much time, and summoned that one-handed six off Bashir to go past the 100-run mark for the seventh time in his career, and the 27-year-celebrated the occasion with a perfect somersault.
It was also a moment of redemption for Pant as Gavaskar had slammed his shot selection during the tour to Australia with the stinging remark "stupid, stupid, stupid."
But on this day, the legendary batter atoned for it with the exclamation of "superb, superb, superb!" on air.
However, the dismissals of Pant and Gill gave England the opening and they crashed through, taking seven Indian wickets for 112 runs across two sessions.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Deccan Herald
an hour ago
- Deccan Herald
Jaiswal sets the tone with another ton
The proof is in the pudding. His pulsating 101 on the opening day of the first Test against England in Headingley on Friday was his fifth century in his 21st Test. It also showed what a fantastic young opener the Mumbaikar is blossoming into with a third triple-digit score on his fourth trip on the road.
Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
Root overtakes Jayasuriya to become 9th highest international cricket run-getter
Leeds [UK], June 22 (ANI): England batter Joe Root overtook Sri Lankan legend Sanath Jayasuriya to become the ninth-highest run-getter in international cricket on Saturday. Root achieved this upward movement in the charts during his side's first Test match against India at Leeds. During his innings, he scored 28 in 58 balls, with two fours. He ultimately fell to Jasprit Bumrah for the 10th time in 25 innings, averaging 29 against him. In 366 international matches, Root has scored 21,053 runs in 479 innings at an average of 49.30, with 54 centuries and 112 fifties; his best score is 262. He is England's top run-getter of all time across all formats, including Tests and ODIs. On the other hand, Jayasuriya, the SL legend, scored 21,032 runs in 651 innings at an average of 34.14, with 42 centuries and 103 fifties. His best score is 340. The top run-getter in international cricket is Sachin Tendulkar, the Indian icon. He has scored 34,357 runs in 664 matches in 782 innings at an average of 48.52, with 100 centuries and 164 fifties. His best score is 248*. In Test cricket, Root has scored 13,034 runs in 154 matches and 280 innings at an average of 50.71, with 36 centuries and 65 fifties. His best score is 262. In ODIs, he has made 7,126 runs at an average of 49.14 in 180 matches and 169 innings, with 18 centuries and 42 fifties. In 32 T20Is and 30 innings, he has scored 893 runs at an average of 35.72, with a strike rate of 126.30 and five half-centuries. His best score is 90*. Coming to the match, England ended day two on 209/3, with Ollie Pope (100*) and Harry Brook (0*) unbeaten. A half-century from Ben Duckett (62 in 94 balls, with nine fours) and his century partnership with Pope gave England a boost after the early dismissal of Zak Crawley. Jasprit Bumrah (three wickets) made problems for England with timely strikes but barely found support from other bowlers. England trails by 262 runs. England, on day one, won the toss and opted to bowl first. Centuries from Yashasvi Jaiswal (101 in 159 balls, with 16 fours), skipper Shubman Gill (147 in 227 balls, with 19 fours and a six) and Rishabh Pant (134 in 178 balls, with 12 fours and six sixes) took India to 471. 430/4 at one point, skipper Ben Stokes (4/66) and Josh Tongue (4/86) caused a collapse. (ANI)
India Gazette
an hour ago
- India Gazette
India women's team suffers 1-5 to clinical Belgium at FIH Hockey Pro League 2024/25
Antwerp [Belgium], June 21 (ANI): The Indian women's hockey team went down 1-5 against Belgium at the FIH Hockey Pro League 2024/25 on Saturday in Antwerp. In a thrilling contest that saw 17 penalty corners for Belgium, Deepika (6') gave India the lead before goals from Helene Brasseur (37', 55'), Lucie Breyne (41'), Ambre Ballenghien (54'), and Charlotte Englebert (58') sealed victory for the hosts. Notably, all five of Belgium's goals arose from penalty corners, said release. India endured a nervy start as Belgium came out pressing with intent, earning a penalty corner within the opening minute. The early scare was averted, and Savita soon followed up with a sharp save to keep the scoreboard untouched. An unforced error in India's half gifted Belgium possession again, but Vaishnavi stepped up with a crucial interception to shut the door. Sitting deep and absorbing waves of pressure, India waited patiently for their chance on the break. When it came, they made it count. Their first circle entry resulted in a penalty corner, and Deepika's shot took a deflection off a Belgian defender before finding the back of the net to put India ahead. As the second quarter unfolded, India did well in midfield to open up spaces despite the Belgian press. However, Belgium were in control of proceedings and found two more penalty corners, but India were up to the task. A skilful run from Navneet set up Salima Tete on the right flank, leading to two consecutive penalty corners. On the rebound, Navneet fired a thunderous shot inside the circle, but goalkeeper Elena Sotgiu made a good save. Minutes before half-time, Lisa Moors threatened to level the scores with a powerful strike from inside the circle, but India's goalkeeper Bichu Devi kept it out. Belgium entered the third quarter having made 10 circle entries to India's four, maintaining steady pressure on the defence. It took five penalty corners before Helene Brasseur finally converted to bring Belgium level. Two more penalty corners followed, and despite a series of sharp saves from Savita, Lucie Breyne struck from close range during yet another set-piece to give Belgium a 2-1 lead. India laboured to find a way back, probing through the flanks in search of an opening in the final quarter, but the Belgian defence remained largely untroubled in the final third. The final ten minutes, however, were completely dominated by the hosts. In the 54th minute, Ambre Ballenghien effectively sealed the contest with a well-taken goal to make it 3-1. Five minutes later, Helene Brasseur converted Belgium's fourth penalty corner, stretching the lead further. Just before the end, Charlotte Englebert added her name to the scoresheet, calmly slotting home a penalty stroke in the 58th minute to complete a comprehensive 5-1 win for Belgium. The Indian Women's Hockey Team will take on Belgium on Sunday. (ANI )
