RAMPANT ATTACK
Rishabh’s counterpunching ton helps India recover
Birmingham, July 1: India rode on a magnificent century from Rishabh Pant to end day one of the rescheduled fifth Test against England at 338 for 7 here on Friday.
Pant (146 off 111 balls) and Ravindra Jadeja (83 batting off 163 balls) added 222 runs for the sixth wicket as the duo frustrated the England bowlers.
Pant, in his innings, hit 20 fours and four sixes.
Mohammed Shami (batting 0) was giving company to Jadeja at stumps.
Virat Kohli endured yet another failure as he was out for 11 in the second session. Hanuma Vihari made 20 as India were 174 for five at tea.
Shreyas Iyer (15) lived dangerously before being caught down the leg-side off James Anderson’s (3/52) bowling.
Rain delayed the start of the second session by an hour and England were all over India soon after play resumed, reducing the visitors to 98 for five.
While James Anderson did the damaged in the morning, Matthew Potts got the prized wicket of an out of form Virat Kohli (11) and a shaky Hanuma Vihari (20) post lunch to put England on top.
Vihari was the first to go after Potts trapped him in front of the stumps with a full ball that darted back sharply. In his following over, Potts sent back Kohli, who dragged one on to his stumps in his half-hearted attempt to leave the ball.
Shreyas Iyer (15 off 11), playing his first Test outside India, started on an aggressive note by collecting three fours off Potts. However, Anderson and the support staff had done their homework on Iyer, who has had issues against the short ball.
The 39-year-old pacer angled one around the rib cage area that induced a faint edge on way to Sam Billings, who took a brilliant one handed catch diving full-stretched to his left.
India (1st innings): Shubman Gill c Crawley b Anderson 17, Cheteshwar Pujara c Crawley b Anderson 13, Hanuma Vihari lbw b Potts 20, Virat Kohli b Potts 11, Rishabh Pant c Crawley b Root 146, Shreyas Iyer c Billings b Anderson 15, Ravindra