The overcast conditions and England’s brutal pace exposed the faulty technique of the Indian batsmen as the hosts put themselves firmly on the driver's seat on Day 2 of second India vs England Test match at Lord's. Only 35.2 overs could be bowled which turned out to be sufficient for England to bowl India out for a paltry 107.
Veteran seamer James Anderson claimed his 26th 5-wicket haul in whites, equalling the records of Dale Steyn and R Ashwin.
No mercy from Anderson, Waokes and Curran
Indian skipper Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane stepped into the field to take innings ahead from 15/3 after the tea break as the weather allowed to resume the play. The duo batted patiently and added 34 runs for the fourth wicket before India received a massive blow in the 22nd over.
A full-length delivery from Chris Woakes swung perfectly to take the leading edge of Kohli’s bat and Buttler made no mistake to snaffle it at the second slip.
That wasn’t the end of India’s bad luck. Making the most of his return to the English Test side, Woakes struck again in his next over and dismissed Hardik Pandya in a similar fashion in which he removed the Indian captain. The ball took the outside edge of Pandya’s blade and landed safely in Buttler’s hand.
After the senior seamers, came young Sam Curran and didn’t take much time to add a wicket against his name. In the 25th over, he fired up a full length which swung enough to bump into the wickets. Karthik returned the dressing room after scoring just 1 run.
Ashwin was the next man who joined Rahane at the crease. Both batted patiently for a while and added 22 for the 7th wicket. But Anderson has his plans ready to dismantle this brewing partnership. In the 30th over, he dismissed Ajinkya Rahane on 18 and reduced the visitors to 84/7.
Soon Anderson made it 5-wickets against his name by dismissing Kuldeep Yadav(0) and Ishant Sharma (0).
R Ashwin remained the highest scorer with 29 off 38 balls.
Pujara's unlucky run out in the second session
The rain in London continued to play hide and seek as it yet again hindered the game after the lunch break. Kohli and Pujara stepped out to take the innings ahead but after 2 overs of play, the players rushed back to their dressing rooms.
Meanwhile, a lack of proper communication cost another loss to India. Pujara left the crease for a quick single but Kohli denied, and after covering half of the track, he turned back. Ollie Pope was quick enough to dislodge the bails and Pujara was left stranded.
After this incident, heavy showers struck again and covers were rolled back on the ground. India reduced to 15/3 after 6.3 overs.
Before the Lunch break
Earlier today, a total of 6.3 overs could be bowled before the covers were brought in. India managed to score 11 runs after losing both their openers. At the break, Cheteshwar Pujara, who replaced Shikhar Dhawan in the playing XI, was at one and giving him company was skipper Virat Kohli (1).
After winning the toss, England had a dream start with the bowl as James Anderson struck in the very first over of the game and removed opener Murali Vijay on a 4-ball duck. The initial loss put immense pressure on the visitors as they went off the mark in the 4th ball of the fourth over.
A few moments before the play stopped, KL Rahul, who had just gained the momentum, fell prey to Anderson and returned to the pavilion after smashing two boundaries.
After Rahul's dismissal, captain Virat Kohli joined Cheteshwar Pujara at the crease and the game stopped at India scoring 11/2.
There was a forecast of rain later in the evening perhaps that is why both the captains wanted to bowl first despite the pitch bearing a dry look.
India went for two changes and perhaps gone back to what everyone expected to be their playing XI in the first Test by bringing back Cheteshwar Pujara at no. 3 and pushing KL Rahul to his original opening position, which means Shikhar Dhawan has to sit out.
Chinaman spinner Kuldeep Yadav too made a comeback to the Indian Test side after more than a year. He made his Test debut against Australia in February.
“It's a hard pitch, looks dry. The wicket looks good, much better than Edgbaston. We have to enjoy the game,” said Indian captain Virat Kohli.
The hosts have gone in with a four-way seam attack. Chris Woakes comes in to strengthen both the batting and bowling departments.
As announced earlier, Ollie Pope makes his Test debut.
“Looks a fresh wicket. With the weather around it gives us a good chance to take wickets this morning,” said England captain Eoin Morgan.
India (Playing XI): Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli(c), Ajinkya Rahane, Dinesh Karthik(w), Hardik Pandya, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma
England (Playing XI): Alastair Cook, Keaton Jennings, Joe Root(c), Ollie Pope, Jonny Bairstow(w), Jos Buttler, Chris Woakes, Sam Curran, Adil Rashid, Stuart Broad, James Anderson