'Game Could Be Out Of Reach If...': England Legend's Massive Warning For Ben Stokes And Co

After a dominating display by Indian batters on the opening day of the first Test at Headingley, former England pacer Stuart Broad feels that the visiting side reaching beyond 550 would possibly move the match away from Ben Stokes-led side. Asked to bat first, openers KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal gave a strong start to the side and stitched a 91-run stand for the first wicket. KL Rahul departed after scoring 42 while Jaiswal went on to slam his maiden Test hundred in England. India captain Shubman Gill (127 not out) also slammed his first century and was involved in an ongoing 138-run fourth-wicket partnership with Rishabh Pant (67 not out) to take the side to 359/3 at stumps on Day 1.
"England would have been hoping to pick up five, maybe six wickets on the day - that would have made for a strong start. But the pitch played really well, and the way the Indian batters controlled the tempo was just outstanding. There was that wobble at lunch - two wickets just before the break - which would have given England a lot of hope, and maybe put some pressure on the Indian dressing room. But the way Jaiswal and captain Gill came out after lunch and settled things down in that middle session - when England were looking to strike - was just wonderful batting," JioHotstar expert Broad said.
"It is a young batting line-up, but they batted with real presence and maturity. They judged the tempo brilliantly, made the bowlers work hard, and did not give away any easy wickets. Without a doubt, it was India's day. They were superb. England will have a lot to think about - there's pressure now, because if India gets to 550 or 600, the game could be out of reach," he added.
Broad reflected on England's missed opportunities and praised India's disciplined batting performance.
"Some of the shots were just superb. England planned to bowl full, and Headingley is statistically the best venue in the UK to pitch it up. That fuller length brings the slips into play and invites the drive. But the Indian batters did not miss those drives. They timed them beautifully, played them late, and let the ball swing, especially Jaiswal and KL Rahul. When you look at the highlights, it's just drive after drive, which might make it seem like England bowled poorly, but it was just exceptional batting," Broad said.
"The Indian batting line-up read the conditions better than expected and adapted superbly. That's what you do as a Test cricketer - you think positively, assess where you are, and plan your comeback. The key for England now is to break this partnership first thing tomorrow. With Gill and Pant at the crease overnight, they could run away with the game. England will be eyeing that second new ball early - but no doubt, it has been all India today. A brilliant way for them to begin the series. It was a joy to watch," he added.
England will look to bounce back on Day 2 with an eye on breaking the partnership between Gill and Pant and wrapping India's first innings as early as possible.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

News18

42 minutes ago

• News18

KL Rahul, Shubman Gill Take India To 90/2 At Stumps On Day 3, Lead By 96 Runs

At stumps, India reached 90/2 with Rahul and Gill at the crease. Brydon Carse dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal with a seaming ball, while Ben Stokes removed debutant Sai Sudharsan for the second time in the match, with Zak Crawley catching the latter's flick at mid-wicket. Rahul was a delight to watch, with most of his seven fours coming through cover drives off the pacers. He appeared comfortable despite the overcast conditions. Play was halted by rain at Headingley, with India leading by 96 runs. In an extended afternoon session, Harry Brook was unlucky to be dismissed on 99 before Bumrah completed a well-deserved five-for, giving India a slender six-run first-innings lead. Before Bumrah bowled Josh Tongue to end England's innings, Chris Woakes (38 off 55) took advantage of a predictable Indian pace attack to bring his side close to India's total of 471. England continued to find fours with ease, scoring 138 runs in 23.4 overs in the afternoon session with the loss of five wickets. Prasidh Krishna dismissed Jamie Smith (40 off 52) and Brook (99 off 112) with short balls but conceded too many runs, giving away 128 runs in 20 overs. Bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur was underused again, raising questions about his selection. Bumrah, the standout Indian bowler, picked up his 14th five-wicket haul in the longest format. India's fielding has been their weakest link so far in the match. Brook, having been given two opportunities, was dropped again on 82 by Jaiswal off Bumrah. Brook could not capitalise on these opportunities and was dismissed for 99 in the 88th over. India took the new ball after 80 overs but failed to use it. Skipper Shubman Gill made questionable decisions, such as introducing Ravindra Jadeja towards the end of the session and bringing Bumrah back for a late burst. In the morning session, Brook attacked an inconsistent Indian pace attack, taking England to 327/5 at lunch. Resuming at 209/3 overnight, Brook ensured England scored quickly, adding 118 runs in 28 overs. The visitors took two key wickets of overnight centurion Ollie Pope (106 off 137) and England skipper Stokes (20 off 52). Like on day two, the other Indian pacers couldn't match Bumrah's accuracy. Brook, dismissed off a Bumrah no-ball at the end of day two, was dropped by wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant on 46 shortly before lunch. Jadeja extracted sharp turn from the rough, but Pant couldn't hold on to the rising ball. In the same over, Brook completed his 12th Test fifty, adding to the frustration of the Indians, who have been poor with their catching throughout the match. Advertisement Led by Gill, the Indians were vocal about their issues with a worn-out Dukes ball during the session. The umpires relented before the 75th over, with the new ball due after 80 overs. The session belonged to Brook, who displayed audacious strokeplay from the start. Krishna bowled two loose deliveries in the first over of the day, which Brook dispatched for a boundary through point and a six over mid-wicket.

First Post

44 minutes ago

• First Post

KL Rahul impresses again as India end Day 3 with 96-run lead in evenly poised 1st Test

KL Rahul remained unbeaten on 47 as India reached 90/2 at stumps on Day 3 of the 1st Test vs England at Headingley. Earlier, Jasprit Bumrah took a five-for to give India a token lead of just 6 runs. Dropped catches and inconsistent bowling from India let England post 465. read more KL Rahul drove his way to a sublime 47 after England negated India's advantage by totalling 465 in their first innings as the visitors had another ordinary day in the field on day three of the first Test here on Sunday. India dropped as many as five catches and barring Jasprit Bumrah, the effort from the pacers left a lot to be desired, allowing England to even out the game after the Shubman Gill-led side posted 471 in its first essay. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD At stumps, India reached 90 for two with Rahul (47 batting off 75) and Shubman Gill (6 batting off 10). Brydon Carse had Yashavi Jaiswal (4 off 11) caught behind with a ball that seamed away while Ben Stokes got rid of debutant Sai Sudharsan (30 off 48) for the second time in the game, the southpaw's flick falling into the hands of Zak Crawley at was a delight to watch as he majority of his seven fours came via the cove driver off the fast bowlers. He did not look any discomfort whatsoever despite the ball doing a bit in overcast conditions. Stumps were drawn when rain arrived at Headingley with India leading by 96 runs.. In an extended afternoon session, Harry Brook ran out of luck on 99 before Jasprit Bumrah completed a well deserved five wicket haul to ensure a slender six run first innings lead for India. Before Bumrah castled Josh Tongue to end England innings, Chris Woakes (38 off 55) punished a predictable Indian pace attack to take his team close to India''s 471. Hosts continued to find the boundaries at will as they collected 138 runs in 23.4 overs in the afternoon session with the loss of five wickets. Prasidh Krishna removed Jamie Smith (40 off 52) and Brook (99 off 112) with the short ball but leaked too many runs at the same time with his one dimensional tactic, conceding 128 runs in 20 overs. Bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur was under bowled again, raising questions over his selection. Bumrah, who has by far been the best Indian bowler on display, picked up his 14th fifer in the longest format ending with figures of 5/83 in 24.4 overs. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD India's fielding have been their weakest link so far in the game and having been give two lives, Brook was dropped again, on 82, by Jaiswal off Bumrah. The explosive England batter however could not use those chances to score a famous hundred and was dismissed on 99 in the 88th over. India had taken the new ball after 80 overs but were not able to make good use of it. Captain Shubman Gill made questionable calls like introducing Ravindra Jadeja towards the end of the session and bringing back Bumrah for a late burst. In the opening session, Brook went on the offensive against an inconsistent Indian pace attack, taking England to 327 for five at lunch. Resuming at an overnight 209 for three, Brook ensured that England scored at a brisk pace, totalling 118 runs in 28 overs. The visitors got two welcome wickets of overnight centurion Ollie Pope (106 off 137) and England captain Ben Stokes (20 off 52). STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Like day two, the other Indian pacers could not match the accuracy of Bumrah. Brook, dismissed off a Bumrah no ball at the stroke of stumps on day two, was dropped by wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant on 46 shortly before lunch. Jadeja, who was able to extract sharp turn from the rough, got one to turn away sharply but Pant could not hold on to the rising ball. In the same over, Brook completed his 12th Test fifty, adding to the frustration of the Indians who have been sloppy with their catching thus far in the game. Led by captain Shubman Gill, the Indians were also very vocal about their issues with a worn out Dukes ball throughout the session. The umpires relented before the 75th over while the new ball will be due after 80 overs. The session belonged to the highly rated Brook who produced a display of audacious strokeplay from the get go. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Krishna offered two loose balls in the first over of the day and Brook duly put them for a four through point and six off over mid-wicket. Brook's tactics against the pacers, including Bumrah, stood out as he charged down to them for aerial drives over extra cover. Krishna, in his following over, was lucky to get Pope out as the England number three edged a short and wide ball to the keeper.

New Indian Express

an hour ago

• New Indian Express

India vs England: Death, taxes and Jasprit Bumrah

CHENNAI: It was Jasprit Bumrah, who stood between Australia and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, till the second day of the fifth Test a few months ago. Captaining in absence of the regular skipper Rohit Sharma, the premier Indian pacer claimed eight wickets including a five-for in the first innings of the opening Test in Perth to hand the team a winning start. Back spasm, however, prevented him from bowling further in the final Test in Sydney as the hosts completed a 3-1 win to finally lay their hands over the trophy after more than nine years. It will not be exaggeration to say that the Gujarat pacer has been single-handedly shouldering the bowling responsibility for the country irrespective of the formats despite being hampered in injuries over the years. Given his unorthodox bowling action and importance to the Indian team, the team management has decided to manage his workload and it is because of this the bowler is expected to play only three Tests in the ongoing five-Test series in England. His mere presence not only gives immense confidence to his teammates but also makes the opposition wary given his knack to turn the match on its head with his single spell. Pat Cummins and Co experienced it first hand and now it's the turn of the English batters to witness the same magic of the World No 1 Test bowler.