Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
ENGLAND RAIN SUPREME
Storming start for Anderson & Co... but India? What a shower!
JAMES ANDERSON licked his lips and showed you don’t need a long time to have a good time as he cut a familiar swathe through the Indian batting line-up for his 26th Test five-for.
Only 35.2 overs were possible across eight and a half hours of scheduled play, but that was enough for India to be bowled out for 107. Amazingly England still had time to drop three more catches in the slips as their problems in that department continued.
But they made such swift amends it would be churlish to count it against them.
And if this rainaffected day is anything to go by, India have by far the bigger problems to overcome as they try yet again to work out how to play the swinging ball.
They are not alone in their bamboozlement, just mention the words ‘Trent Bridge’ to the hapless Aussies, and you will get the same look of bewilderment.
And Cheteshwar Pujara gave debutant Ollie Pope (below) an easy run out to add to India’s woes.
At least they are being routed by the best in the business as Anderson moved five wickets closer on 99 to becoming the first man to take 100 Test scalps at Lord’s. “They were the ideal conditions to bowl in,” said Anderson who finished with 5-20 from 13 overs.
“I find it so much fun to bowl in conditions like that and we don’t get them too much. So when you get a day with conditions like this, you lick your lips and try to show off your skills.
“You need to try not to do too many things because the ball is moving so much and for us to keep our focus like that after all the rain was a credit to the lads.” Only Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan has taken more than 100 wickets at a single venue, and with the great man long retired it is fair to say that facing Anderson under leaden skies with a Dukes ball in England is the greatest batting challenge in world cricket.
“I don’t think you get any more challenging conditions than this,” admitted India batsman Ajinkya Rahane. “Anderson is such a fine bowler it is very tough, but you have to stay positive and there is a long way to go in the series.”
The theory that Virat Kohli had somehow mastered the art after his innings of 149 at Edgbaston was again in question as he was dropped on 19 by Jos Buttler at second slip before incredibly edging the next ball from Chris Woakes to the same man and was safely pouched.
With the Warwickshire man enjoying more swing than any other bowler he couldn’t believe his eyes when Buttler put down Hardik Pandya on 11 only to watch him take a second catch the very next ball to make amends again.
Sam Curran and Stuart Broad both got in on the act before Anderson wrapped things up, and now it is over to England’s batsmen.