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England had a difficult second day against India as their players continued to struggle; Joe Root (2-77) was the most prolific of the four bowlers;follow the third day text commentary starting at 3.45am on Friday (first dance at 4am)
By Nasser Hussain, cricket expert and columnist
16:34, United Kingdom, Friday, January 26, 2024
Sky Sports Cricket’s Nasser Hussain believes England would have more control against India if they had chosen stalwart James Anderson as their bowling option.
India took full control of the first Test against England on the second day as KL Rahul (86) and Ravindra Jadeja (81no) helped the hosts gain a huge lead of 175 in Hyderabad.
India had reached 421-7 at stumps in reply to England’s 246.
Each of India’s top five batsmen was the architect of their own downfall, their dismissals coming down to looking at boundaries rather than through magical deliveries as England’s spinners struggled to offer the same threat and control as the trio. Indian Jadeja (3-88), Axar Patel (2-33) and Ravichandran Ashwin (3-68) on the first day.
Jack Leach (1-54) bowled just 16 overs on day two as fights a “quite serious” knee problemwhile debutant Tom Hartley’s figures read 2-131 in 25 overs and Rehan Ahmed, playing only his second Test, scored 105 runs from his 23, with Joe Root (2-77) the pick of England’s slow bowlers.
Nasser Hussain says England bowlers Rehan Ahmed and Tom Hartley would not have liked the lack of control in their bowling against India.
“I said before the match that I would have played Anderson. I was a little surprised by the balance of the team because with Root in India it is four spinners and one seamer,” Hussain said.
“Anderson gives you control. It doesn’t even have to be him, it can be (Ollie) Robinson, just another closer.
“Anderson’s skills on the subcontinent have been exceptional in recent years. Anderson is a pretty good player when he is in the team. He is England’s best bowler.
“I understood why they did it. You’ve got Jack Leach, who hasn’t bowled since May or June because of his stress fractures, and then you’ve got a debutant and someone playing in his second Test match.
“They may have been worried about how much you can bowl to Leach in that game. So if you just go for the second spinner and they don’t get it right, you’re left in a tough position.”
‘I would have gone to Root sooner’
England player Joe Root struck early when he caught and bowled Indian batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal (80) off the fourth ball of the day, leaving spectators wondering why he was not introduced into the attack earlier.
“Yesterday I thought that with Jaiswal going well, the matchup was better. Root, an off-spinner, taking him away from the left-hander he was trying to dominate. He would have gone to Root earlier,” Hussain said.
“The problem for Stokes is that he is a great defender of his teammates. He gave that quote about looking for the silent player in the corner of the dressing room and in this test match that silent player is Tom Hartley.”
Hartley’s first ball in Test cricket was hit by Jaiswal as the 24-year-old struggled to take a wicket on debut.
“Anyone who knows Stokes knows that when a young player hasn’t started well he will back him, but yesterday I thought at some point he had to look at the bigger picture when the game was winding down.
“As a captain you are always learning, but you can never be too critical of a captain who is trying to back a player on his debut.”
“England didn’t bowl well”
England’s bowlers struggled against India, who built a substantial lead with wickets falling few and far between, and mainly due to the batsmen’s errors rather than the bowler’s skill.
“I don’t think England bowls well. It’s a marked difference from what we saw today. You can give Rehan a bit of slack because he is a wrist spinner and will have variations, but Hartley will wish he had given Stokes some control,” Hussain added.
“England were probably worried about what happened to Moeen Ali in the summer and that’s why they wanted an extra spinner. Physically, after a stress fracture you have to take care that someone gets back into the team.”
England bowling coach Jeetan Patel confirmed that spinner Leach has been struggling with a knee problem. He has bowled 25 overs and taken one wicket so far, removing India captain Rohit Sharma (25) on the first day.
Hussain added: “They never got control, not even the last three balls of the day which were four, six, four. There was no control.
“I think everyone can learn from the first inning dismissals. India could learn that England had great success with seamers and can start with Ashwin. The second day’s round will be more challenging.”
Follow England’s five-Test series in India across Sky Sports’ digital platforms with live blogs and reports.
India vs England matches
- First test, Hyderabad: Thursday, January 25 – Monday, January 29
- Second Test, Visakhapatnam: Friday, February 2 – Tuesday, February 6
- Third test, Rajkot: Thursday, February 15 – Monday, February 19
- Fourth test, Ranchi: Friday, February 23 – Tuesday, February 27
- Fifth test, Dharamshala: Thursday March 7 – Monday March 11