England vs India, Third Test Day 2 Highlights: James Anderson Strike After Bell, Buttler Fireworks Puts England on Top
England were in command at the end of the second day, having reduced India to 25/1 after declaring on 569/7. The hosts lead by 544 runs. Follow highlights here.
James Anderson removed Shikhar Dhawan as England took control of the third Test against India. Catch all the highlights here: (Scorecentre)
22:58 IST: That's Stumps. India are 25/1 and trail England by 544 runs. Anderson finished Day 2 with 1/14 while Pujara remained unbeaten on 11 and Pujara on 4 not out. (Day 2 in Pics)
22:42 IST: England have the upper hand as the second day's play draws to a close. This has been a dream day for the hosts, who were under the pump after the defeat at Lord's.
22:27 IST: It looks like a different match is being played on a different surface; the English new ball bowlers Anderson and Broad are getting the ball to move and swing, they already have a wicket and are looking menacing. Uphill task for India from hereon?
22:20 IST: WICKET! James Anderson has struck early to remove Dhawan as India slip to 17/1. This is a poor start for the tourists after England declared on 569/7.
22:11 IST: India are 12/0 off 5 overs. A packed slip cordon for Vijay against Anderson. England's intentions are clear; they want to attack and get wickets and put India under some pressure.
22:04 IST: Both openers have now a boundary each against their names but Dhawan needs some confidence too. Vijay with scores of 146, 52, 24 and 95 has had a good series so far and his partner would want to emulate those scores somewhere.
21:50 IST: Some early movement from both Anderson and Broad with the new ball but Vijay has managed to get bat to ball. Dhawan, as usual, is looking scratchy again at the start, but the Indian openers would be determined to not give away their wickets tonight. If they settled down, India can start thinking of saving this Test match without much fuss at the end.
21:40 IST: WICKET! Buttler falls to Jadeja for 85 and he is denied a hundred on debut, a hundred well-deserved. England have declared on 569/7 and leave India with 14 overs to bat for the rest of the day.
21:34 IST: Buttler is on fire as he gets stuck into another debutant, slamming Pankaj Singh for 6, 6, 2 and 4. This is sensational stuff at the Rose Bowl. As many as 21 runs came off that over; England are 566/6.
© AP
#boom @josbuttler...pretty good for someone who was "not ready for test cricket" a few weeks back! Should have started the summer!
- Kevin Pietersen (@KP24) July 28, 2014
21:30 IST: Dhoni missed an easy stumping chances off Jadeja's bowling as Buttler charged down the pitch to hit a big one; that's seven chances gone down for the Indians now.
21:20 IST: WICKET! That's the end of Ian Bell for 167 as Kumar strikes for the third time. England are 526/6.
21:15 IST: Debut half-century for Buttler. Stellar knock from a man known as a one-day specialist. His fifty has come off only 64 balls.
21:10 IST: England have brought up their 500 and are looking good to score a few more before Cook considers a declaration.
21:00 IST: Bell brings up 150 for the fifth time in his career; what a return to form this is for one of England's most senior batsmen.
20:49 IST: DROPPED! Shami got Butler to drive and Dhawan makes a mess of an easy chance in the slip cordon.
20:48 IST: Bell tucks Shami off the hips and that's the half-century stand with Butler for the sixth wicket. It has come off only 87 balls. England are 471/5.
20:40 IST: Play has resumed after tea, and England will certainly look to make India bat for the last 40 minutes today. Buttler can be the man to take on the mantle of upping the ante while Bell holds one end up. 500 is round the corner and the hosts have now reached a position, where they possibly cannot lose this Test.
© AP
20:10 IST: Tea: England are 452/5 and have Ian Bell going strong on 133. Kumar has snared two wickets in the second session.
19:56 IST: Tea coming up and England are accelerating with ease here. Bell has Buttler for company and these two men can hit the big shots at will. The hosts have some dangerous batsmen lower down the order as well. MS Dhoni needs his bowlers to strike.
19:45 IST: Kumar came close to getting his third wicket but Butler's edge to slip was referred by the umpire. TV replays showed the ball may not have landed safely in Rahane's hands. And soon after, the 'keeper gets off the mark in Test cricket.
19:34 IST: WICKET! Second one for Kumar as he removes Moeen Ali, who looked to up the ante. England are 420/5.
19:29 IST: SIX! And Ian Bell brings up his 21st hundred in style. What a way to end a prolonged run of poor form. And he follows it up with a boundary. England are past 400.
© AP
19:23 IST: Pankaj Singh had promised a better day two in Southampton. But nothing has worked for him, not even a long chat with Ishant Sharma this morning. England are 397/4.
19:14 IST: Ian Bell is now in the 90s and once he gets past his hundred, there could be some kind of acceleration. Once England approach 500, Cook might start thinking of a declaration. For now, the focus is on Bell.
18:56 IST: Moeen Ali has walked in to join Bell at the crease. England will be hoping for some quick runs here so they can put some pressure on the Indians by the end of the day.
Read how South Africa hung on for a draw against Sri Lanka to become the number 1 Test side.
18:52 IST: WICKET! Another breakthrough for India, as Bhuvneshwar Kumar gets rid of Joe Root, who was scratching around even on a flat deck. It could work for England, with some aggressive batsmen lined up down the order. England are 378/4.
Meanwhile, India are adding to their medals tally at the Glasgow Games. Star Shooter Gagan Narang has just won a Silver. Follow all updates here
18:42 IST: Ishant Sharma was seen having a chat with Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Pankaj Singh before the star of day's play. But his inputs have really not made a difference, with the surface heavily in favour of the batsmen. England, meanwhile, will be looking to accelerate sooner rather than later and give their bowlers enough time to bowl India out twice.
18:29 IST: After Alastair Cook, another senior England batsman Ian Bell, is making the most of a flat pitch at the Rose Bowl. Having brought up his 42nd Test fifty, Bell is now anchoring the English innings steadily. According to the experts on air, the surface will turn later.
Meanwhile, South Africa managed to pull off a draw against Sri Lanka to win the two-Test series.
© AP
18:20 IST: Former England skipper Nassir Hussain feels India will find it tough to get 20 wickets on this Rose Bowl surface. It has been a flat pitch so far, with hints of turn now. The tourists are playing only one frontline spinner and that could make the difference at the end of the day.
1735 IST: Lunch! England end first session on Day 2 on 358/3. Ian Bell and Joe Root will resume for the hosts.
1726 IST: OUT! Ballance's formidable knock comes to a surprisingly tame end on 156. He edges Rohit Sharma with Dhoni completing a regulation catch. England 355/3.
© AP
1720 IST: Fours are now coming freely with Ballance and Bell powering England past the 350-run mark.
1716 IST:150 and going strong! Ballance slams a confident four - his 23rd in the innings - to reach the milestone. His previous best in Tests was 110.
1710 IST: Paddle-sweep, pull, drive - England batsmen are doing it all. Ballance in 140s and is eying his first 150.
don't think england want to bowl twice back to back on this track. so need to give themselves enough time.
- Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) July 28, 2014
1705 IST: Even as English batsmen continue to score freely, in the other major Test being played, runs have frozen - and how! South Africa's JP Duminy has score three runs from 65 balls vs Sri Lanka - slowest by a Protean batsman since Fanie de Villiers in 1996. (Updates from the match)
1655 IST: Ballance and Bell complete 100 runs for the third wicket. This has been a brisk knock from both batsmen with the second fifty in their partnership coming in just over an hour.
1650 IST: Bell slammed seven fours and a solitary six to complete a classical Test fifty. Some numbers from his knock so far:
* 81.37% dot balls.
* 13 balls per boundary.
* 25 runs on the off side in the innings so far.
1644 IST:Fifty! Bell completes his 42nd Test half-century. He has played a confident knock so far and has been a great support to Ballance.
© AP
1630 IST: Ballance hits back-to-back fours off Pankaj to bring up England's 300. Partnership with Bell is now 88 and looking stronger than ever before in this innings. Dhoni brings in Jadeja for the first time today.
1625 IST: Even as Indian bowlers continue to toil for a wicket, there is some bad news from the camp. Bowling coach Joe Dawes reveals Ishant will have to undergo more tests on his sore leg. (Read more here)
1620 IST: Dhoni has used all his three pacers in the opening hour on Day 2. While Pankaj has come the closest to a possible wicket, Bhuvneshwar and Shami too have bowled to their strenghts. Apart from the rare short/wayward delivery, the trio has been on the mark. Unfortunately for India though, so have Ballance and Bell.
1610 IST: Did you know? When Bell made his Test debut for England (2004), Ballance was 14 while Bhuvneshwar - leading India's bowling attack currently - was just 13 years of age.
1600 IST: England not just performing well on the cricket field. The English contingent at Commonwealth Games has bagged 23 golds, 17 silvers and 17 bronze for the second spot in the tally so far. Indians, in contrast, are placed fifth with six golds. (Complete CWG coverage | Monday's updates)
1552 IST: Ballance-Bell partnership now worth 50 for the third wicket. The Indians have made both players come close to danger but their battle continues. Do you think Ishant could have made a difference here? Comment box is below.
1550 IST: Luck does not seem to be favouring Pankaj today either. He gets Bell to edge one but the ball goes through to the boundary. The batsman then flicks the next ball to the leg-side boundary - a bad delivery which seemed more an indication of possible frustration.
1542 IST: Good start from the Indians. Bhuvneshwar and Pankaj start by bowling maidens. Pankaj in particular, gets the ball to shape away from Ballance and Ian Bell - a good sign early on.
1540 IST: The track here was raved about by experts on Day 1. Although Cook and Ballance played to their potential, the pitch was definitely to their liking as well. While the track itself is a beauty for batting, the stadium here is quite scenic as well. Did you know? Rose Bowl was established in 2001 and has a capacity of roughly 20,000 people. (Read more about the venue here)
1535 IST: Bhuvneshwar starts for India - gets some movement. Ballance has no trouble however and plays out the first over with trademark ease - much as he played for most parts of Day 1. Did you know? Ballance has scored three Test tons in his short career so far - two in this series alone. (All the stats from England vs India Test series)
1530 IST: The players are out and second day's play is now just moments away. Can Gary balance build on his impressive century or will debutant bowler Pankaj Singh be rewarded for his spirited effort?
1525 IST: Former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar a day earlier told NDTV that the tourists did not bowl shabbily on Day 1 at Southampton. While the effort was there, Gavaskar said that Dhoni needs to manage his slip cordon better. "Unless we know why Murali Viajy and Virat Kohli are not standing in the slips, we will keep making these mistakes. They are our best catchers and they are not in the slip cordon," he said. (Read more here)
1520 IST: It would be interesting to see how much of spin India skipper MS Dhoni would employ today. While the track is sure to assist fluent batting, it has had marginal seam movement. Pacers were used extensively by India a day earlier but Ravindra Jadeja's spin did earn him one of the two wickets to fall.
1515 IST: It is another fine day over Rose Bowl in Southampton. As England look to build on their overnight score of 247/2, the conditions here look perfect to aid the hosts. The weather here is 18C currently with humidity a notch below 70%. The sky is partly covered by clouds but a full day's play is expected.
© AP
England, for the first time in the series on Sunday, felt the impact of a captain leading from the front. Alastair Cook rode his luck and missed his 26th Test hundred by five runs. Since scoring 51 versus Australia at Melbourne in December 2013, Cook got his first score of 30 in 10 innings in Tests. (Highlights)
Top batsmen are normally one good innings away from regaining form and Cook will relish the 231-ball innings he played on challenging conditions. Cook batted with few alarms and was looking good for his 26th Test century when he feathered a faint edge down the leg side off Ravindra Jadeja and was caught by wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The Bowl gave the beleaguered England skipper a standing ovation for his dogged effort.
Cook said: "It has given me some confidence that my batting is going in the right direction and hopefully I can carry on scoring runs." Cook did, however, reach a significant personal landmark as he overtook David Gower to move into third place in the list of England's all-time leading Test run-scorers, on 8,257. Graham Gooch leads the list with 8,900 from Alec Stewart on 8,463.
© AP
The man who took England to a position of strength was Ballance. The left-handed Zimbabwean-born Ballance survived a close caught behind call and several deliveries whistled just past the outside edge before he and Cook reached tea with an unbroken partnership of 131.
Ballance had upped the scoring rate and reached his century, which included 15 fours, with a perfectly-timed boundary. He was well supported by Bell, although the experienced right-hander was fortunate to survive following a close lbw shout off debutant Pankaj Singh. (Also read: Pankaj Singh promises to make impact on India debut)
India's bowling coach Joe Dawes, worried after Ishant Sharma pulled out of the third Test due to injury, said: "There's improvement to make tomorrow (Monday and hopefully we can get an early breakthrough. If we can get two or three poles in the morning we'll be well back in it. We need to make them play a little bit more."
Fingers-crossed!