CHENNAI: India might have dismissed five wickets on day two of the first Test against England but spinner Shahbaz Nadeem feels it was Ishant Sharma‘s twin blow that gave the hosts a slight upper hand in the game.
England ended the second day after scoring a mammoth 555 runs for the loss of eight wickets. The visitors were cruising towards a bigger score before Ishant dismissed Jos Buttler and Jofra Archer on successive balls to give India a glimmer of hope in the first Test.
Nadeem, who himself picked two wickets on Saturday, reckons the two scalps by Ishant were very crucial as they lifted the morale of the Virat Kohli-led Indian side. With Dom Bess and Jack Leach on the crease, Nadeem feels it will be easier for the hosts to now bundle out England on day three.
“Ishant’s two wickets were very crucial as he dismissed Buttler and Archer. He took wickets on successive deliveries and this kind of performance obviously uplifts the morale of the side. So I feel those two wickets were important for us as if we did not get those two wickets there would have been a batsman on the crease rather than tailenders. Now, two England bowlers are on the crease, so we can say we have got an upper hand,” said Nadeem while replying to a query from ANI.
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1st Test: Root’s double-century in 100th Test puts England in control
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England captain Joe Root became the first batsman to smash a double-hundred in his 100th Test, crafting a massive 218 runs to put his team in charge of the opening match against India in Chennai. (PTI Photo)
Root registered his second double-ton in three matches as England amassed 555-8 on a flat wicket. At the end of Day 2, Dom Bess was batting on 28 with Jack Leach on six at the other end.(PTI Photo)
Root was seen battling cramps in the final overs on Friday but returned to hound India’s bowlers when England resumed on 263-3.The right-hander looked typically solid against an Indian attack which could manage only a couple of half-hearted lbw appeals against him in the first two sessions. (PTI Photo)
Root was more than happy to let Ben Stokes dominate their 124-run collaboration for the fourth wicket. Playing his first Test since August, Stokes smashed 10 boundaries and three sixes in a typically entertaining 82. (PTI Photo)
India’s desperation for a breakthrough showed when they blew back-to-back reviews after lbw appeals against Stokes and Root had been turned down. (BCCI Photo)
The home side did not look sharp on the field either. R Ashwin dropped a return catch from Stokes, then on 31, and in the next over, the all-rounder’s slog-sweep brushed a diving Cheteshwar Pujara’s fingers at midwicket. (PTI Photo)
Pujara later made amends by taking a juggling catch after Stokes had played a slog-sweep against left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem. (PTI Photo)
Nadeem eventually ended Root’s nearly nine-hour vigil by trapping him lbw, which the batsman immediately reviewed unsuccessfully. (PTI Photo)
Ishant Sharma dismissed Jos Buttler and Jofra Archer in successive deliveries late in the day, but Leach denied him a hat-trick. (BCCI Photo)
Nadeem picked two important wickets for India. He first dismissed all-rounder Ben Stokes and then trapped England skipper Joe Root in front of the stumps. The left-arm spinner said the plan was to bowl in good areas and then wait for the batsmen to play any loose shot.
“The plan on this wicket should be to bowl on good areas. If you go for the wickets in this pitch, you may get hammered for runs. Our plan was to bowl in good areas and if batsmen make any mistake you might get a wicket,” said Nadeem.
Root’s double ton and Stokes’ 82 have guided England to post a mammoth score on day two of the first Test. In the final session, India bagged four wickets including the much-awaited dismissal of Root (218).
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