INDIA STUNNED BY E
ANDERSON LEADS ATTACK THAT HAS TOURISTS REELING
ENGLAND produced one of the most dominant displays ever seen on the opening day of a Test match as they rolled over India for just 78 and then eased their way to 120 without loss.
Nine days on from a dispiriting, error-strewn defeat at Lord’s, England barely put a foot wrong as they scattered the touring line-up at Headingley inside 41 overs before Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed reeled off a pair of half-centuries.
Burns (52) and Hameed (60) deserve huge credit for the way they tackled their first assignment as an opening pair but the platform was created by the hosts’ attack.
Invited to bowl first, record wicket-taker James Anderson served up a majestic new-ball spell of eight overs for six runs and taking out the decorated trio of KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli.
Remarkably he did not get his hands on the ball again, with Ollie Robinson, the returning Craig Overton and Sam Curran sweeping up the next seven wickets, including a sequence of four in six balls in a chaotic afternoon session. Both Overton and Curran found themselves on hat-tricks during that sequence, with the former justifying his recall after two years with figures of three for 16.
Anderson wrapped up India’s top order and delivered three outside edges in a row to wicketkeeper Jos Buttler.
Rahul wafted airily at the fifth ball of the day, Pujara absorbed a steady stream of inswing then clipped the one that nipped away and Kohli caved in with a loose drive after an awkward half-hour stay.
Taking out the bullish captain for just seven was a big moment and, although Anderson opted not to reopen last week’s running war of words, his celebration told its own story.
From 21 for three, Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane managed a partial comeback only for Robinson to have the latter caught behind in the last act before lunch.
At 56 for four there was room for a fightback but England killed the run-rate and converted that pressure into an avalanche of dismissals.
Robinson added his second when Rishabh Pant handed Buttler his fifth take of the day, before Overton’s short ball dragged a hamfisted pull out of Rohit. He trudged off, topscorer with just 19 in 105 balls.
That was the first of four wickets that fell with the score locked on 67, Mohammed Shami steering Overton to third slip before Curran had Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah lbw.
Given seven tricky overs before tea, Burns and Hameed calmly added 21 runs. The evening session then turned into an extended showcase for the pair, who ran positively from the off and bristled with intent throughout. Hameed was soon indulging his cut shot, tagging successive deliveries from Ishant Sharma then lashing Mohammed Siraj.
Burns got his drive going against the seamers, welcomed Jaedja’s spin with a confident sweep and energised the Western Terrace with a flat pull for six off Siraj. With the scores level,
England’s openers overtook the Indian total courtesy of a misfield – Jadeja gifting Hameed another boundary.
He was having fun now, producing a couple of wafer-thin late cuts before reaching fifty with a nick that flew for four off Rohit’s fingertips. Burns followed him to fifty, clipping Bumrah off his pads to put the icing on the cake.