Where to start today's losing streak neither batting or bowling nor captaincy India has disappointed in every department. After the defeat of Lord’s, hardly anyone would have guessed that host England would return like this. Where once after losing the toss of the match, it was felt that England had lost the match too, but James Anderson, the trump card of the host team, changed everything in the early sails of the match and turned the match completely in favor of England. The first session of the test match would have been crucial for the bowling and the England bowlers bowled with precise lines and lengths and broke the opposition’s back completely.
James Anderson’s proving to be so lethal shows his ability somewhere where other bowlers of his age have retired long ago. There is still a lot of cricket left in James Anderson, which is visible in his bowling and just a short time ago, 619 wickets of Anil Kumble were overtaken by Anderson.
What was your favourite moment of Day 1?
#ENGvIND
Former India cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin said that the match could have been taken till the last day, “Lack of technique & application to play swing led to an inept batting display by India. At the least, we could have batted much better & taken the match to Day 5. Definitely a day to forget."
Every ball from *that* sensational new ball spell this morning from @jimmy9!
Day 1 Highlights: https://t.co/0h6LQe9pxh
#ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/A1XJVniULP
The first innings of the visitors, where Lokesh Rahul, Chesteswar Pujara and captain Virat Kohli were hunted by James Anderson, completely knocked India out of the match and perhaps this proved to be the first turning point of the match. India's score was 3 for 21 runs, now it was due to Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya, but only 35 runs were added to the team's score, taking the wicket of Ajinkya, Robinson gave India the fourth blow before lunch. After the wicket of Ajinkya, the remaining batsmen of the team were shown the way out by the England bowlers and only 22 runs were added to the team’s score that the entire India team was out on the score of 78 runs in the first innings.
The storm of the Joe Root was still left
A lot depended on India’s bowling after being bundled out for 78, and as India’s 151-run victory at Lord’s predicted the hosts would be restricted to a low score in the first innings at Leeds. But the captain of the host showed how to return in the series, the sixth century of the year and the third century of the current series. Three batsmen's half-centuries and the captain's 121 in the four openers of the host's team were enough after the first innings score to lead England to victory. In reply to India's 78, England bulked up 432 runs in England's first innings.
228 v Sri Lanka, Galle
186 v Sri Lanka, Galle
218 v India, Chennai
109 v India, Trent Bridge
180* v India, Lord's
100* v India, Headingley
A sixth Test hundred in 2021 for Joe Root. No Englishman has ever scored more in a calendar year.
We are witnessing something very special. pic.twitter.com/vbK8vxIXkE
The lead of 354 runs in the first innings, England had won the match here, but it was expected from the Indian team that they would definitely try to come back, which they did, but it was not possible to cross the lead and set the target. Pujara and Virat Kohli did form a partnership and hoped that something could still happen in the match, but the pressure of the lead above 350 runs was seen as soon as the fourth day's play started. And on the fourth day, Pujara's wicket started the end of the game, where the score was 2 for 215, after some time the score was 8 for 257 runs.
Craig Overton finished India’s second innings with 2 wickets in 3 balls and gave England 76 runs and an innings before lunch on the fourth day. The series has now leveled at 1-1 and there are still two test matches to go in a scintillating series.
