(Cricket news) This Indian Test side under Virat Kohli has seen so much success in the past 4 years that days like these are a rarity. The rare occurrence makes them that much more difficult to digest for fans and players alike. After finally winning the toss Virat Kohli opted to bat first, Joe Root said that he wasn't too disappointed to bowl first. Kohli has lost his fair share of crucial tosses but he wouldn't have minded losing this one.
Indian batting crumbled like a house of cards in under just 40 overs. Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane were the only players to reach double figure scores. The top order collapse was marshalled by the old guard James Anderson who opened the bowling and bowled 8 overs on the trott. In the very first over Anderson got rid of the inform KL Rahul with a full length out swinger that the opener tried to drive only to find the outside edge. The pacer wasn't done then as he bowled an almost unplayable delivery to Cheteshwar Pujara. The ball that dismissed Pujara was a proper out swinger which was pushed into the stumps making it impossible to middle.
The Indian skipper walked out in a pressure situation once again. Anderson was causing all sorts of trouble with his out swingers which were followed by the occasional ball that sharply nipped back in. One such full out swinger tempted Virat Kohli to drive which he edged towards Jos Buttler. After bowling his 8 overs Joe Root didn't even need to bring his strike bowler back into the attack.
The two Mumbai boys Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane put together a few runs and were looking good for a while. Just a while later Ollie Robinson provided the breakthrough after Rahane edged his delivery to Buttler. Robinson then dismissed Rishabh Pant cheaply after the keeper unnecessarily tried to chase a good length ball outside off. Ravindra Jadeja and Rohit Sharma occupied the crease for a while but couldn't keep the scoreboard ticking.
Rohit Sharma uncharacteristically missed out on a few loose deliveries and then in classic Rohit Sharma fashion got out trying to pull Craig Overton's short ball. Sam Curran and Craig Overton made sure that the Indian tail didn't wag much this time. India were bowled out after just 40.4 overs with only 78 runs on board.
Also read: Shaheen Storm in Jamaica helps Pakistan fight back to draw Test series 1-1
The conditions weren't particularly overcast or cloudy but the English seamers got the ball to move in the air and off the pitch. The movement suddenly disappeared when it was India's turn to bowl. The bright sunlight had hardened the pitch and there was no help for bowlers. Haseeb Hameed and Rory Burns who struggled in the first two Tests looked more than comfortable with the willow.
The Indian bowlers weren't up to the mark and lacked accuracy. Ishant Sharma in particular couldn't find the right length. England finished the day on 120 for no loss leading by 42 runs as both the openers reached their half centuries. Jadeja did get the odd ball to deviate off the foot marks which brings a huge question mark over Ravichandran Ashwin's absence.
The Test match is now a long way back for India but this team has done it before. The victory at Lord's put a curtain over the recurring problems like lack of runs from the middle order. There is still a long time left in the match and subsequently in the series. The very first step would be to come out all guns blazing with the ball on day 2. This is the one time Indian fans might actually want the conditions to be cloudy with little drizzles.
Player of the day: James Anderson
There is absolutely no surprise that James Anderson delivered when it mattered the most. Anderson only bowled 8 overs in the day but those 8 were a nightmare for the Indians. The seamer had a gameplan in mind and executed it to perfection. His length was a little fuller than usual which suited the conditions brilliantly. The Lancashire veteran got rid of Rahul, Pujara and Kohli which set the tone for the rest of the day. England need Anderson to repeat the same heroics for the rest of the summer and the quick has been showing no signs of slowing down.
