Virat gets drop

VIRAT KOHLI savagely punished England for dropping him twice to drag India right back into the first Test at Edgbaston yesterday.

Youngster Sam Curran’s 4-74 and evergreen Jimmy Anderson’s 2-41, plus a mesmerising spell of raw aggression from Ben Stokes, were the major plus points as England closed on 9-1 second time around, 22 ahead after bowling the tourists out for 274.

Skipper Kohli was dropped by Dawid Malan off Anderson at slip on 21 and 51 and was last man out for 149, having rescued India from 100-5 and 169-7.

And Alastair Cook – who also dropped Hardik Pandya (22) before he had scored – was then bowled for a duck by leg-spinner Ravi Ashwin off the last ball of the day.

It was identical to Cook’s dismissal in the first innings to pose more serious questions about his Test future.

Limelight

When Kohli was finally out, cutting low to Stuart Broad at backward-point off spinner Adil Rashid, he had punished that first drop to the tune of 128 runs.

No other Indian batsman made more than 26 but Kohli did not hog all the limelight thanks to Curran.

The 20-year-old left-handed Surrey paceman was four years old when Anderson made his Test debut in 2003.

But he blew India’s top order apart in only his second Test, grabbing three wickets in seven balls in the morning session to electrify England.

His assault came with India 50-0, Murali Vijay out lbw on review and KL Rahul dragging on two balls later.

In his next over Curran sent one the other way and found Shikhar Dhawan’s edge.

From 50-0 to 59-3 India were suddenly in bother and with Anderson lining up Kohli in his sights once again it was all looking rosy – until Malan dropped him.

But Curran insisted: “You have to give credit to a great innings. No one means to drop catches and on another day they would be taken.

“It was a pretty special day for me with the ball and it is a cool feeling going on a field with my heroes Jimmy and Broady and Stokesy and running in to bowl against Kohli

– players I have grown up watching.”