TimesofIndia.com in Leeds:
The capacity crowd at Headingley was up on its feet for what was going to be the last ball of the second day’s play. A menacing Jasprit Bumrah was steaming down the hill, the floodlights were on, and thousands in the stands joined in the act, for one last time, for what was an absorbing day of Test cricket. Bumrah bowled a steamy last delivery, but Harry Brook survived, and the seamer turned and started the walk back to the change room. The applause continued, and it was surely not for an individual but for the day which unfolded. As the rest of his teammates converged towards each other near the pitch, Bumrah was already past the boundary rope and headed for the stairs. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Both India and England had their moments, but the hosts would be the happier lot after the inspired bowling effort and then a strong reply with the bat. At 430/3, after another top start in the morning session, Shubman Gill-led unit was in the driver’s seat to pile on more misery, but the collapse saw them add only 41 runs to the total and lose as many as seven wickets in the process. Around that time – Lunch interval – the clouds started playing hide and seek with the sun, and a brief rain interruption delayed proceedings, creating ideal conditions for the quicks. Overcast, floodlights on and gentle breeze. As they say, look above while deciding at the toss in Leeds, and the time for that look was now for the Indian bowlers. They couldn’t have asked for a better time to have a crack at the opposition, but instead of creating their moments, the side let go of the ones which came their way.
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It wasn’t a surprise to see Bumrah make the early inroad, but it was definitely a surprise to see Ravindra Jadeja drop a regulation catch and then Yashasvi Jaiswal do the same in the slips. Two of the safest hands in the team couldn’t hold on to comfortable catches, and the hosts capitalised on the early reprieves. The day didn’t turn out to be the way visitors would have wanted, and it wasn’t just the batting and fielding, but the support for Bumrah from the other end, which was a major let down.Mohammed Siraj took a lot of time to hit the right rhythm, Prasidh Krishna was far too comfortable to deal with, and Shardul Thakur was summoned for just three overs. With the new ball, the erratic Siraj and Krishna meant that whatever pressure Bumrah created was released from the other end. There were far too many loose deliveries, and had it not been for Ravindra Jadeja’s accurate darts, the scoreboard would have been much worse for Team India.
Even without support, which was the story for Bumrah even in Australia, he was at it and ran in hard every delivery. He managed to pick all three wickets to fall and even had his fourth, but the overstep meant Brook survived off the no-ball and Bumrah had to end his day with just three scalps. He will return on Day 3 morning with the same intensity, but it will be imperative that he gets support from the other end, and from his fielders, to sustain the relentless pressure he will invariably create from his end.
