Pant , Pope 100s make 2nd Eng v India test evenly poised

 

England clawed their way back in the 1st test as India 1st innings finally closed at 471 after Pant's glorious  135 . After restricting India , England ended the day at 209/3, still 262 runs behind India’s first-innings total but looking far more comfortable thanks to Ollie Pope, who remained unbeaten on 100. If not for Jasprit Bumrah’s late breakthroughs, England would have been in an even stronger position.

India's struggles on Day 2 could be traced back to three key issues:

1. Failure of the lower order
2. Ineffective bowling from everyone except Bumrah
3. Missed catches in the field

Despite three Indian batters — Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, and Rishabh Pant — scoring centuries, the team could only post 471. At one point, they were 430/3, but the innings collapsed, losing 7 wickets for just 41 runs. The slide began with Gill, who fell attempting a big shot. After Karun Nair’s dismissal, coach Gautam Gambhir sent a message from the dressing room instructing Pant to play cautiously. However, this disrupted Pant’s natural rhythm. Known for thriving in free-flowing play, Pant struggled to adapt and eventually fell to a delivery he didn’t even attempt to play.

What followed was a familiar Indian issue — a lack of contributions from the lower order. Neither Shardul Thakur nor Ravindra Jadeja could add much. This 471-run total is now the lowest in Test history for a team featuring three centurions in a single innings. Strong lower-order batting often makes the difference in Test matches, especially overseas, but India continues to falter in this department outside home conditions.

England's reply began under overcast skies after a rain delay. Conditions were ideal for swing bowling, and Bumrah exploited them brilliantly. He dismissed Zak Crawley in the very first over and kept posing questions with every delivery. It seemed like Bumrah was bowling on a different pitch altogether, while the rest of the Indian attack looked toothless. Mohammed Siraj conceded 24 runs in his first three overs. Prasidh Krishna gave away 28 in his first four. Jadeja too failed to apply pressure — the English batters attacked him with ease, keeping the scoreboard moving.

All three of England's wickets were taken by Bumrah. He could have had a fourth, but a no-ball cost him Harry Brook’s scalp late in the day. Fielding lapses added to India’s woes. Bumrah induced three catching chances, all of which were dropped. Ben Duckett was let off twice — once by Jaiswal at slip and once by Jadeja at point. While Jaiswal’s chance was tough, Jadeja’s drop was uncharacteristic. Duckett capitalized with a well-made 62. After tea, Ollie Pope offered another chance, again spilled by Jaiswal at slip. The same Jaiswal had taken some brilliant catches during the previous Australian tour — perhaps that’s why he was stationed there again. But this time, he faltered, and Pope took full advantage to bring up a century. Having scored a hundred in the first Test of the India tour last year, Pope is once again proving to be a thorn in India’s side.

The decision to hand the ball to Shardul Thakur only in the 40th over remains puzzling. Only Shubman Gill can explain the delay. Thakur may be expensive, but he has the knack for picking up wickets and had looked good in the warm-up games. He is also capable of swinging the ball both ways with the new ball. But by the time he was introduced, the ball had gone soft, reducing his impact.

Overall, India’s bowling looked flat without Bumrah. Commentator Sunil Gavaskar too questioned the reliance on one man, stressing that Bumrah needs support. Unfortunately, on Day 2, he received none.

If India are to bowl England out quickly and regain control, they’ll need a revised strategy and far better execution on Day 3 — both in bowling and in the field.