Rishabh Pant brought Headingley to its feet with a spectacular hundred and Jasprit Bumrah once again delivered a masterclass in hostile fast bowling, but England weathered the storm through a tenacious Ollie Pope to end Day Two on 209 for 3 in reply to India’s imposing 471. Score: India vs England 1st Test Day 2Trailing by 262 runs, the hosts found much-needed stability through Pope’s unbeaten century and stand with Ben Duckett, before a late strike by Bumrah brought some relief to the visitors.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Despite Bumrah’s searing spells – which included the wicket of Joe Root and a near dismissal of Harry Brook off a no-ball – England showed grit and gumption, led by Pope’s calculated aggression and control.Pant flips, soars, and silences criticsIndia began the day at 359 for 3, and the morning belonged to Rishabh Pant. Mixing audacity with calculated shot-making, he reached his seventh Test century with a breathtaking one-handed six off Shoaib Bashir. The celebration – a trademark somersault – underlined the intent. His innings of 134 came after a 209-run partnership with captain Shubman Gill, who notched a career-best 147.Pant’s brilliance felt like vindication. Six months after being labelled “stupid, stupid, stupid” by Sunil Gavaskar for his shot selection, the legendary batter was heard exclaiming “superb, superb, superb” on air as Pant reached his century.
Bumrah’s brilliance: Too hot to handleJasprit Bumrah began with a magic ball to dismiss Zak Crawley in the very first over and returned later to remove Duckett and Root with deliveries that reeked of quality and menace. Duckett’s dismissal – inside-edge onto stumps – halted a 122-run stand, while Root’s poke to slip marked Bumrah’s 10th dismissal of the England star in Tests.He nearly had Brook too, caught by Siraj at fine leg, only for it to be called a no-ball – Bumrah’s third of the over. But his figures of 3/48 didn’t quite reflect how threatening he was all day.Pope’s poise steals the sessionComing in amid chaos, Ollie Pope showed composure and clarity. He was dropped early by Yashasvi Jaiswal and survived an LBW appeal by Siraj, but once settled, his footwork and bottom-hand flicks cut through the Indian attack.Pope, on 100* at stumps, constructed a crucial 122-run stand with Duckett and later added 80 with Root. His celebration, a jump and punch in the air, echoed England’s relief as Headingley rose in applause.Collapse dents India despite big totalIndia, once cruising, lost seven wickets for 41 runs after the dismissal of Gill and Pant. The collapse – as batting coach Sitanshu Kotak admitted – came too soon. “It was a collapse. We expected better,” he said, though he lauded Gill’s growth post-BGT and defended Pant’s unique method: “Just because he plays aggressive doesn’t mean he can’t defend.”
