India vs England, Second Test match, Day 2: Moments of the day
Some of the interesting match moments from Saturday's play between India and England.
- NDTVSports
- Updated: November 24, 2012 04:42 PM IST
The second day of play in the second Test between India and England once again saw fortunes swinging from one team to the other but the visitors, having lost just two wickets, would favour themselves in the driver's seat. A look at some of the interesting match moments from Saturday's play.
It happened after 1016 minutes, and how
Cheteshwar Pujara has been to England what Alastair Cook has been to India - a thorn in the flesh. While India did get Cook out twice in the first Test match itself, England could not get Pujara out till the 135th over of India's first innings in the second Test. This after 1016 minutes, 382 runs and a whole lot of torment in the series till now.
What was more surprising about the dismissal though was the mode. In all his first-class, list-A, T20 career, Pujara has never been dismissed stumped and that's what Graeme Swann got him to do today. With this a certain Sachin Tendulkar would have remembered the day when he too got stumped for the first time in his Test career and that was against England too - the bowler, Ashley Giles.
He was swept away
England could not get him out while he was batting and managed the most uncommon of dismissals. They did though manage an easy way out to get Pujara off the field. Captain Cook was busy sweeping Indian spinners and the forward short leg was in the firing line. After a few blows, Pujara was hit flush on his back and he immediately winced in pain. He was taken off right away and if reports are to be believed, a hospital scan awaited him. England had got what they wanted and they did not stop at that.
Pujara's replacement, Ajinkya Rahane, too was hit a couple of times and extremely hard at that. He stood to witness the day's play though unlike his teammate.
England's Pujara or is Pujara India's Cook
Alastair Cook has been India's nemesis right from when he began his career. He scored a debut century against the Men in Blue. He scored 348 runs when India toured England. He has already score 3__ runs in this series so far and we are not even half-way into the second Test. So, it will be more apt to say that Cheteshwar Pujara is India's Alastair Cook rather than the other way.
Shane Warne does the trick, without playing
The legendary spinner was shown talking to Kevin Pietersen just before the day's play and it might have worked wonders for KP. According to the commentator Warne, he only told Kevin to 'back his instincts'. And lo and behold! Pietersen was a changed man cometh the England's innings. He was assured, he was not twitching and he was playing to his potential. Indian spinners did not have an answer. No, not even Pragyan Ojha.
Slipping a bit short
There were a number of chances offered by the English batsmen with the ball finding the edge of their bat. The deliveries however almost always fell short of the slip fielders who seemed to be standing way back. The final chance of the day came with England on 176/2 and in the 63rd over, bowled by Zaheer.