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England Pile On Runs On 2nd Day
England v India, 3rd Investec Test, Ageas Bowl, 2nd day
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| Debutant Jos Buttler launching an assault on the Indian Bowlers. |
England declared on 569/7 & then Anderson got Dhawan out early as India ended the day on 25/1 in 14 overs.
The Three Lions were led in by their centurions, Ballance and Bell, with Cook following behind after a hard day's work.
Led by Captain Cook's 95, England scored 569 runs for 7 wickets in the 1st innings of the 3rd Test. B Kumar was the most successful bowler for India, scalping 3 wickets. Buttler scored a quick-fire 85 in the end. At one stage of the innings he 2 back-to-back sixes off Pankaj Singh and then scored a boundary to gather 21 runs from the 163rd over.
Earlier, Ian Bell & Gary Ballance were near-perfect for England, they seldom missed, rarely edged & looked completely dominating as they raised the run-rate in the first session. It looked like a perfect day for batting. Ian Bell never looked like a man who has been out of form for a long time and hasn't scored a test.
MS Dhoni changed the bowling 15 times in as many overs in order to extract something from the Indian Attack. B Kumar, who has constantly been India's go-to man, couldn't do much himself. Shami continued his undisciplined bowling & Pankaj Singh lost his steam after bowling impressively at the start of both days.
England declaration meant that Indian openers had 14 overs to survive but it was a huge task cut out the way Broad & Anderson squared them up time and again. Both of them were swinging the ball at high speed consistently.
While M Vijay fended off most of them well enough, it was Dhawan who edged one to Alastair Cook at 1st slip after Anderson attack him from round the stumps. Poor Dhawan couldn't be blamed entirely for the dismissal such was the quality of the England Attack that it looked impossible stay for those 14 overs.
In the end Vijay & Pujara guided India to 25/1 on stumps without any further loss.
In the end Vijay & Pujara guided India to 25/1 on stumps without any further loss.
Ajinka Rahane Controversial Dismissal BCCI's fault?
England v India, 2nd Investec Test, Lord's, 3rd day
After Liam Plunkett struck on consecutive deliveries to remove Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli, India needed none other than Ajinkya Rahane to steady the ship. Rahane came out to bat with a first innings century on his back and looked good for the very first seven balls the Mumbai batsman faced, but then came the shocker.
A rising delivery from Stuart Broad ricocheted off Rahane’s right elbow and popped up in the air with wicketkeeper Matt Prior running and diving forward to complete the catch, England fielders appealed and soon bowler joined in. A dreaded finger of umpire Bruce Oxenford went up and Rahane had a dejected long walk back to the pavilion.
It gets cruel when a batsman in prime form and fresh from hundred gets his innings cut short by an umpiring error. Rahane was quick and natural to show his dissatisfaction behind the decision as he walked past umpire. This is not new, in fact in first innings of this Test match England batsman Joe Root and Indian all-rounder Stuart Binny too were at the receiving end. Going back to first test there were few goofed decisions also.
While most of the Test playing nations prefer and take assistance from technology to aid umpires and use the Umpire Decision Review System India have decided against it. BCCI has continuedits stance against the UDRS and it has actually hurt Team India on field, with verdicts going against them at crucial times, like the Rahane one.
It is part and parcel of the game and umpires after all are humans, so any rare error in judgement istolerable, but if there is a technology on offer and that too when you are the richest cricket board in the world rejecting it is no way the shrewdest of the decisions. BCCI believes that UDRS is not 100% accurate, but it would have needed no ground-breaking technology to call back Rahane if review would have been in place. It is indeed a time BCCI put on their thinking cap and say yes to UDRS, at least we won’t have more Rahane like dismissals, that is for sure.
Murali Vijay keeps India Alive in Even Contest
England v India, 2nd Investec Test, Lord's, 3rd day
London:Murali Vijay anchored India's innings with asolid fifty after England looked to take charge of the 2nd Test at Lord's on Saturday.
India lost 3 wickets for just 5 runs in space of 19 balls to be 118/1 to 123/4 with a lead of just 99 runs.
At stumps on the third day they were 169/4, leading by 145 runs.
Opening batsman Vijay, batting for almost 5 hours, was 59 not out and India captain M S Dhoni unbeaten on 12.
Meanwhile, England's Liam Plunkett had a brilliant day with both bat & ball. Hescored a Test-best 55 not out to help his team to a first-innings lead & then took 2 big wickets in 2 balls.
Sikhar Dhawan was looking to attack upfront with Vijay playing calmly.
But on 31, Dhawan failed to get over the top of a cut off Ben Stokes & was caught by Joe Root at backward point to leave India 40/1.
Fast bowler Plunkett pitched the ball up & he was duly rewarded.
First, he drew Pujara (43) forward & got his outside edge which ended a 2nd-wicket stand of 78 in 30 overs.
Next ball, Virat Kohli made an awful mistake of leaving a ball which came back and was clean bowled for a golden duck.
Plunkett then wasted his hat-trick delivery as Rahane left a ball well wide of off stump.
Rahane, the centurion from 1st innings, was given out controversially because of the absence of DRS in this series.
Another concern for England was the slow over-rate which may result in a ban for the captain, Cook, who has now gone 26 innings without scoring a Test hundred.
Earlier, B Kumar took 6/82 as he recorded his Test-best figures for the second time in this series..
But even he could not prevent England gaining a slender 1st-innings lead of 24.
England's tail added 100 runs to the overnight score of 219/6 before being bowled out for 319.
Plunkett and Anderson, struck a flurry of boundaries as they added 39 in 43 balls.
Kumar had reduced England to 280/9 in initially overcast conditions on Saturday as he bowled Ben Stokes for a duck with a swinging delivery and then had Broad caught at 1st slip.
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Ajinka Rahane Controversial Dismissal BCCI's fault?