India vs England 2nd Test Day 2, Highlights: Bhuvneshwar's Four-For, Ballance Ton Keep Lord's Test Wide Open
Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Gary Ballance led the duels for India and England respectively as the hosts reached 219/6 at stumps on Day 2 of the second Test at Lord's. Catch all the highlights.
Ballance scored his second Test hundred while Kumar snared four wickets as England and India remained engrossed in a thrilling contest at Lord's. Catch all the highlights here: (Matchcentre)
22:45 IST: Stumps - England are 219/6, trail by 76. This match hangs in the balance after England covered sufficient ground, thanks to Gary Ballance's second hundred and a 98-run partnership with Moeen Ali (32) for the fifth wicket. The duo stalled India, who were desperate for wickets. After Bhuvneshwar Kumar had struck twice before lunch and once after to remove Cook, Robson and Bell, Jadeja also chipped in to see off Joe Root. However, India suddenly hit a roadblock against the two left-handers, before Murali Vijay picked up his first Test wicket sending back Moeen Ali. Kumar struck again with the new ball, removing Ballance for 110 with a little more than three overs left. The pressure will now be on Prior to help England wipe off the deficit and take a lead when play resumes on the third day.
22:27 IST: WICKET! Kumar gets four and this time he removes Gary Ballance for 110 as England reached 214/6, trailing India by 81 runs. England are losing the initiative at the close end of the day with a nightwatchman and and a struggling Prior in the middle.
© AP
22:17 IST: New ball has been taken and Kumar comes on to bowl. This could be an interesting last few minutes of play on the second day with India ready to attack a nightwatchman. An out-of-form Prior is due in next and England are certainly hoping he is not exposed to the new ball tonight.
22:11 IST: WICKET! And it's Murali Vijay, who has taken his first Test wicket. He trapped Moeen Ali lbw for 32 as England moved to 211/5, still trailing India by 84 runs. Vijay is bowling with his fielding pads on! And he gets his fourth wicket in first-class cricket. Sensational. Liam Plunkett walks out as the nightwatchman.
22:03 IST: FOUR! Ballance cracks Binny to the fence to bring up second Test hundred in five matches. This has been a special knock by the 24-year-old especially after the controversy that surrounded him before this game. The Indian team applauds too. England are 204/4 and trail by 91 now.
© AP
22:01 IST: Andrew Strauss has retired, Kevin Pietersen has been sacked, Jonathan Trott has been out with mental exhaustion, Alastair Cook and Ian Bell are badly out of form but England have been blessed with the likes of Sam Robson, Gary Ballance, Joe Root and Moeen Ali, young men, who have been happy to take over from the big names. What a show this has been by Ballance so far.
21:52 IST: Ballance and Ali are wiping off the deficit steadily here and India should be worried with Prior and Broad due in next. England 190/4 and they trail now by 105 runs.
21:48 IST: FOUR! Beautiful cover drive from Ballance to a slightly pitched up ball from Binny and he races away to 89. This has been excellent batting after England suffered some key losses. Two men with a a total of nine Tests between them are making India sweat after the heavyweights were dismissed early. England are 186/4 and trail by 109 runs.
21:24 IST: Ballance and Ali are steering England along nicely with a half-century run stand for the fifth wicket. Both left-handed batsmen have continued to frustrate India, who are desperate for wickets. Jadeja thrives on the ball turning away from the right-handers but he has so far been ineffective against two men prepared to stick around at the crease.
© AFP
21:00 IST: With England looking comfortable, Dhoni decided to get his star, Kumar back in the attack and FOUR! Ballance plays a lovely on-drive. He is looking more and more confident with every passing minute and looking dangerous for India. England are 150/4 and trail India by 145 runs.
Chris Gayle is in the eye of a storm after 'sexist' remarks against a woman journalist. Find out what happened here.
20:56 IST: The Ballance-Ali stand is now worth 31 runs and looks promising. Their first task will be to help England get as close as possible to the Indian total before the likes of Prior and Broad take over for some quick scoring later in the order.
© AP
Quite ironic that Ballance Bats in a sweater in 90 degrees heat but takes his shirt off when having a pint.....
- Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) July 18, 2014
20:45 IST: England will be pressed to build a strong partnership here as Ballance and Moeen Ali resume after tea. Can Jadeja strike again and put India on top? Things can get tricky for the hosts if they lose another wicket soon, despite a strong lower order.
20:10 IST: Tea- England are 125/4 and trail by 170. Another reasonably successful session for India after they managed to keep England on the backfoot, picking up the crucial wickets of Bell and Root. However, Ballance, who hit his third successive fifty, stood strong for the hosts and was poised to anchor the English innings in the last session of the day. Dhoni will certainly fall back on his most successful bowler today, Kumar after tea. Conditions are far easier for batting today and it will continue to be an uphill task for the Indian bowlers.
20:08 IST: Gary Ballance pushed Murali Vijay for a single to bring up his third fifty. He now has one hundred and three successive half-centuries, starting with the Sri Lanka series. England are 124/4 and trail by 171 runs,
© AFP
19:54 IST: One half of the Anderson-Jadeja row shone with four wickets for England. The other half has just removed Root to keep India slightly ahead in the Test so far. Can Jadeja pick up a couple more before the end of play today?
19:49 IST: WICKET! Ravindra Jadeja is in business at Lord's. He has struck at a crucial time to knock off Joe Root lbw for 13 as England were reduced to 113/4, still trailing India by 182 runs, with tea approaching on Day 2.
© AP
19:41 IST: England are looking a lot more settled with two young batsmen at the creae; Ballance has looked assured while Root has been prepared to grind it out. India have now fallen back on the second line of attack with Binny and Jadeja in operation. Dhoni would be keen for another breakthrough before tea, which is just over half-an-hour away.
19:17 IST: Another good start for Ballance; he had scored a hundred the last time England played at Lord's (against Sri Lanka). The left-handed number three has since scored two half-centuries, once each against the Lanakns and India. And here he is again, leading the hosts against Kumar's swing. England are 91/3 and trail by 204.
© AFP
19:06 IST: Kumar has been the hero for India so far and former India captain Sunil Gavaskar speaking to NDTV said: "Bhuvneshwar has not allowed batsmen to break free. He has them under pressure." Kumar has bowled right through, picking up Cook, Robson and Bell. Gavaskar also defended England captain Cook, who has been under severe criticism for his poor run of form: "Lots of players go through lean phases. Their past records have to be seen."
19:02 IST: India have sent down 36 overs today but MS Dhoni has struck to his three mainline seam bowlers, using Kumar for 16 overs, Ishant for 11 and Shami for eight. No sign yet of either Binny or Jadeja. England are 85/3 and trail by 210 runs.
18:57 IST: Root will of course draw some inspiration from his record at Lord's. Before the start of this Test match, he has averaged 102 from six innings, scoring 512 runs.
18:51 IST: Ballance and his partner Root, have both been in the news for the wrong reasons. While Root was slapped, Ballance was pulled up for a bar misconduct. Can the two of them put their heads together and dig England out of the hole? They are both capable and have delivered in crunch situations, especially the more experienced Root. England are 73/3.
18:42 IST: WICKET! Kumar has done it again; he now has three wickets and his latest scalp is the solid Ian Bell, who was looking to anchor England's innings. Dhoni persisted with him, for all the right reasons and the UP seamer delivered, surprising Bell with the extra bounce on a surface that had apparently started to ease out. England are 70/3 and trail India by 225 runs.
© AP
Bhuvneshwar has bowled 14 overs out of the 30 overs bowled by India...Admit that he's been the best so far but need a break now!
- Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) July 18, 2014
18:36 IST: Bhuvneshwar Kumar has had to do most of the work for India this morning, bowling no less than 14 overs of the 30 sent down. He has been the most successful bowler for the tourists so far and MS Dhoni is in no mood to take him off the attack. Deliver as a bowler and you are made to work even harder.
© AP
18:28 IST: Ballance would be under immense pressure after an injudicious evening at a pub before the second Test. The left-handed batsman was warned by the England cricket team for his misconduct and now, in the company of a senior batsman, he would want to forget about his indiscretions and play a key role in the match.
© AP
18:14 IST: England will now look to Ballance and Bell to score heavily in the second session with the pitch seemingly easing out. It had a lot of spice for the pacers yesterday, but a lot of it is now lost. England are 55/2 and still have a long way to go in this innings.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka are in all sorts of trouble, ending Day 3 of the first Test against South Africa at 283/9, trailing by 172 runs. Why? Well, because Dale Steyn ripped through the hosts, taking 5/50 off 21 overs. Click here for updates.
17:30 IST: Lunch - England are 51/2, trail India by 244 runs. After ending India's innings early on Day 2, England openers Cook and Robson walked out with a stiff task at hand. Faced with a challenging first innings 295 from the tourists, the English needed to get their acts right against a competent pace attack on a green top. Both men were watchful to start with but they were soon removed by Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2/17), who has been in top form this series. After picking up the bottom five at Trent Bridge, Kumar knocked off the top two as India went to the first break of the day, feeling a lot better after failing to cross 300. Bell and Ballance have remained solid and would be keen to erase the deficit when play resumes in the second session.
17:15 IST: FOUR! Poor bowling from Ishant, who has strayed on the pads. Easy pickings for Bell, as he sends it away to the onside fence. England are 45/2 and trail India by 250, with lunch round the corner.
17:14 IST: As the senior-most middle-order batsman, Ian Bell will be expected to steer England's innings. This is not going to be an easy task but Bell will have to dig deep and hope that Ballance and Joe Root rally around him.
© AFP
17:10 IST: England's poor form since the Ashes have a lot to do with Cook's dismal run with the bat. Only one top order batsman since July 2013 has averaged less than the England skipper's 23.69 - New Zealand's Hamish Rutherford has managed only 21.46.
16:48 IST: WICKET! Brilliant from Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who has picked up his second wicket. Robson edged it to Dhoni after attempting to go for the drive. England have lost both openers now and the onus of a recovery is now on the middle order. Will they survive a determined Indian pace attack? England 31/2, trailing India by 264 runs as Bell joins Ballance in the middle.
© AFP
16:41 IST: Cook had been dismissed early at Trent Bridge as well and it was these two in the middle, Robson and Ballance, who had led England to safety with a 125-run stand for the second wicket. A similar effort today, albeit a scenario much more difficult given the nature of the surface, could put England in a commanding position. England 31/1, trail by 264 runs.
At present in this series @jimmy9 is top of the Batting averages and Ali Cook is top of the bowling averages...!!!!!!!!!!
- Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) July 18, 2014
16:27 IST: WICKET! Kumar has struck and India's plans for Cook have worked. The England captain nicked it to Dhoni behind the stumps and the tourists are elated. The home captain continues to be under pressure; England 22/1 off10.1 overs.
© AP
16:24 IST: DROPPED! Robson edged Shami to Rahane in the slip cordon but he lets go of an easy chance. How costly will that prove to be for India. The seamers have toiled for wickets for nearly an hour now and they have still struggled. England 22/0 after 10 overs.
16:14 IST: A captain, who is in desperate need of runs and a youngster eager to impress further, Cook and Robson, have done well to stay put and read the conditions. They know the first hour is for the bowlers and they are perfectly prepared to grind it out. India have unleashed Kumar and Shami upfront and have Ishant and Binny to bowl yet. This could be a massive challenge for the English. England 14/0 after 8 overs, trail India by 281 runs.
© AP
16:10 IST: Meanwhile, former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar has been relieved as interim BCCI president for IPL affairs by the Supreme Court of India. Read story here.
15:59 IST: India will be eager to pile on the pressure on England early. A quick wicket would be perfect after the tourists' sensational rearguard yesterday. FOUR! That's poor bowing from Shami, who strays on the pads, allowing Cook to pick up easy runs. England are 7/0 after four overs.
Meanwhile, Dale Steyn has taken another fifer to put Sri Lanka in trouble in the first Test at Galle. Click here for updates.
15:54 IST: Good seam position from Kumar and Shami upfront; Cook and Robson, the England openers have been watchful for the first couple of overs. They are certainly bowling to a plan to the English skipper, who has been vulnerable outside the off stump. England: 2/0 after 2 overs, trail by 295 runs.
© AP
15:36 IST: WICKET! Shami edges Stokes to Cook at first slip and it's all over for India in the first innings; 295 all out. Given India's four-pronged pace attack, England face a stiff task at Lord's.
15:32 IST: Mohammed Shami faced up to James Anderson for the first over of the day. An underedge ran away to the fence past a diving Prior and India were away. A single followed and India closed the 91st on 295/9.
15:20 IST: After a fascinating first day at Lord's, the onus will be on India's bowlers to try and make the second Test against England more interesting. India will resume Day 2 on 290/9, made possible only by Rahane's gritty ton on a green top, and their first objective will to go past the 300-run mark. And then Kumar, Shami, Ishant and Binny can be a handful on this surface.
© Reuters
Ajinkya Rahane was India's hero on Day 1 at Lord's. England had reduced the visitors to 145 for seven on a bowler-friendly pitch early in the final session, but Rahane's 103, along with support from number nine Bhuvneshwar Kumar (36), ensured India had rallied to 290 for nine at the close. Rahane became the fourth Indian batsman to post a Test century on his first appearance at Lord's, joining Dilip Vengsarkar, Sourav Ganguly and Ajit Agarkar.
Rahane, in his seventh Test, took advantage of England's tiring bowling attack and brought up his second Test century with a stab through to the offside boundary off James Anderson. He put on 90 with Kumar before the latter, who passed 50 in both innings at Trent Bridge, was bowled by Broad soon after the new ball was taken.
Having won the toss and elected to bowl, the hosts initially struggled to find their rhythm on a green-looking surface, taking only two wickets before lunch. However, a four-wicket burst in the middle session followed by another dismissal shortly after tea put England in control before Rahane's late assault. Rahane's knock, which included 15 fours and a six, was ended by a sharp caught-and-bowled effort by James Anderson late in the day.
"I just wanted to be myself and play my game, I was just talking to myself, I wanted to play as close (to my body) as possible and play my shots," Rahane told a news conference.
Rahane said the Lord's pitch was an inspiration for the Indian bowlers too. "First session they bowled a little bit short and second session they came with a different plan and (pitched) a little bit up. That sort of line on this wicket will suit our bowlers as well. Tomorrow is going to be a crucial day... it's not going to be easy for the English batsman either."
© AFP
That the wicket has plenty for the bowlers was proven by Anderson. The 31-year-old Anderson's four-wicket haul made him England's most successful wicket taker on home soil, surpassing Fred Trueman's tally of 229, and he also eclipsed Ian Botham (69) by becoming the highest Test wicket taker at Lord's with 72 victims.
"Watching him bowl you just feel like he's going to nick someone off or, next best, play and miss. He swings the ball both ways, a very skilful bowler and you've got him holding an end up all the time," said Anderson's teammate Ben Stokes, who got the all-important wicket of Cheteshwar Pujara. (Read: Ben Stokes Heaps Praise on Rahane)
Day 2 will be critical for both India and England. Live action from 3:30 PM IST.