Pulling his weight
SEAMER CURRAN TORMENTS INDIA EARLY ON WITH A FOUR-WICKET HAUL
■ Captain Virat Kohli led India’s fightback with a timely century against England in the first innings of the opening Test at Edgbaston yesterday. The right-hander struck his 22nd century to guide the visitors closer to England’s first innings total of 287.
Indian skipper Virat Kohli stood tall among the ruins with a determined 149 even as rookie England quick Sam Curran continued to torment the visitors on the second day of the opening Test at the Edgbaston yesterday.
England were nine for one in their second innings, a lead of 22 runs, at stumps.
Alastair Cook was out for a duck to what became the last ball of the day when England’s all-time leading Test run-scorer, for the second time in the match, was drawn forward and bowled by a superb delivery from off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin that pitched on middle and hit off stump. Keaton Jennings was five not out.
Earlier in the day, Curran rocked India with three quick wickets of Murali Vijay (20), Shikhar Dhawan (26) and Lokesh Rahul (4) to spoil a bright 50-run opening stand in reply to England’s first innings total of 287.
India were facing a large first-innings deficit at 182 for eight but Kohli, dropped twice, made a superb 149 — his maiden Test century in England — in a total of 274. He was eventually last man out, with India just 13 runs adrift of England’s first innings 287. This is England’s 1,000th Test and the first of a five-match series.
The Indian captain hit a patient knock to complete his 22nd Test century, fourth against England, in his 67th Test match. Kohli had a 35-run partnership with pacer Ishant Sharma (5) to bolster India’s total. At the tea break, Kohli (53) and Ravichandran Ashwin (6) went back undefeated after England managed to take three more wickets in the post-lunch session.
Resuming the second session at a precarious 76/3, Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane (15) started on a watchful note, helping India reach the three-figure mark before all-rounder Ben Stokes struck twice.
Stokes first accounted for the wicket of Rahane, who needlessly flirted at a short of length delivery only to be caught comfortably by Keaton Jennings at third slip.
The all-rounder then cleaned up stumper Dinesh Karthik
with a straight delivery, to claim his 100th Test wicket.
Kohli not only surpassed his previous best score of 41 in England but also went ahead to notch his 17th Test fifty off 100 balls before Pandya departed after being trapped in front by Curran.