Sanjay, Shorey lead Board President’s XI charge
Indian Board President’s XI ended Day 2 of the three-day practice game at 201/2, trailing South Africa A’s first innings score of 473/4 declared by 272 runs. The visitors added 84 more runs on Tuesday before concluding their innings. RR Sanjay then took charge of the Board President’s XI innings with a sublime 87 before getting caught. Dhruv Shorey (67*) and Ricky Bhui (3*) were unbeaten at stumps. Brief scores: South Africa A 473/4d vs Indian Board President’s XI 201/2 (RR Sanjay 87, Dhruv Shorey 67*) at stumps on Day 2.
It has been over a month since the Indian cricket team landed in these parts, and though the limited-overs series ended with honours even, no one had any doubt about where the real focus of Virat Kohli and his team lay.
India kick-start a high-voltage Test series against England at Edgbaston on Wednesday. The first Test, which marks the home team’s 1000th match, will also show if India, the world’s No 1 side, can match ambition with performance.
India go into the second leg in a year of three massive away contests. In South Africa, they came up short despite some fine performances with bat and ball, but England will be a different ballgame despite the home team struggling for consistency.
India have plenty to make amends for. In 2011, India’s ageing golden generation of batsmen, despite Rahul Dravid’s standout show, presided over a 0-4 rout. India’s trip was equally painful in 2014, when it lost 1-3.
It is not as if India have not won in England before, unlike in South Africa or Australia where they’ve at best drawn series.
They have made 17 Test tours to England since 1932, played 57 matches, and lost 30. But six wins across these 86 years brought them three series -- in 1971, 1986 and 2007.
But the big number millions of Indian fans will hope their skipper addresses is 13.4 -- the paltry average Kohli collected in 2014 after failing against swing and seam.
Though Kohli bounced back with four centuries on the 2014-15 Australia tour that followed and has not looked back since, his
BANGALORE: BIRMINGHAM:
India have lost back-to-back Test series in England (2011 and 2014), last winning one in 2007.
England come into this game having ended a run of eight Tests without a win, doing so with their win over Pak.
Just one of England’s last 27 Test matches to have been played on home soil has ended in a draw.
Alastair Cook is 144 runs away from becoming the first batsman to post 1,000 Test runs at Edgbaston.
Virat Kohli has played one Test series in England before, managing to score 134 runs across 10 innings, at 13.4.
Anderson (86) is 10 scalps away from becoming leading wicket-taker in Tests between England and India.