It’s the same old scramble for answers

IT IS Groundhog Day. England have been 30 for three or 100 for five far too often and rely time and again on someone in the middle order to bail them out of trouble. Yesterday it was Sam Curran but it cannot carry on like this.

Yes, there was some amazing, world- class bowling from India’s four-pronged seam attack.

In particular, the delivery that dismissed Keaton Jennings (below) from Jasprit Bumrah was right out of the top drawer.

The ball hooped around corners all day and there was no respite, no bowler who offered England the slightest chance of easy runs or taking stock until the next big challenge arrived.

Groundsmen have been asked to leave grass on pitches this season to try to keep a bit of pace in them and the outfield here was so lush that the ball stayed shiny all the way through.

That meant batting was far from easy for virtually everyone bar Curran, who got the balance between attack and defence spot on.

You have to feel for Jennings. Bumrah has historically swung the ball away from left-handers and you could see that Jennings was determined to leave the ball after getting out so many times outside off-stump.

Then this huge inswinger came from nowhere and Bumrah absolutely nailed it. The only thing I’d say is that coaches will tell you even when you are trying to leave the ball you should shape to play it first.

Here it was as if Jennings’ brain was so scrambled he had premeditated the leave and once you are in that mode it is very difficult to play the ball. On this occasion he never got in position to play it.

Jennings is drinking in the last- chance saloon now. He must somehow find a way to get a score in the second innings, somehow find a method that can see him keeping out the Indian fast bowlers.

It is not easy. Even though India have four righthanded fast bowlers, they are very different. Bumrah goes wide of the crease and swings it in and out with an odd action.

Ishant Sharma is six-foot plenty going around the wicket, swinging it away and getting bounce, while Mohammed Shami is short and skiddy. Then Hardik Pandya pitches it up and swings it.

The first three are all quicker than England’s bowlers and they are being backed up now by excellent catching, as we saw again with an outstanding grab from Virat Kohli to see the back of Alastair Cook.

OF THE top order, Cook actually looked the best balanced at the crease. He was lining the ball up well, was very composed and it was a very un-Cook-like shot — almost like a back cut — that did for him. When you’re out of form, that costs you because he was somehow caught off the toe-end of the bat. My opinion on Cook hasn’t changed. He needs a score but I would give him until the end of the series to get one. So he has the second innings here and two more goes at The Oval before we consider his position. Jennings is different. He looks completely shot. He has been getting out playing when he should have left the ball and here he was out leaving when he should have played it. But he just has to look at his partner Cook who has made a career out of finding a way to get himself out of a trough and unscrambling his brain when the going has been at its toughest. If Jennings cannot do that in the second innings it’s hard to see him being at The Oval, whatever the result of this Test.