The tale keeps on twisting within the first day of play itself, as India were thrown for a daze by Mark Wood’s menacing pace, before skipper Rohit Sharma anchored the innings with a timely fifty to guide India to safety.
India ended the first session scoring 93 runs and losing 3 wickets, with 25 overs bowled so far.
Rohit Sharma chose to bat first upon witnessing the pitch. But, in hindsight now, he would have perhaps thought twice before making his decision.
A thin bit of grass across the pitch was the only leeway allotted for the seamers. Well, it turned out to be just enough for returning pacer Mark Wood, who wreaked havoc early into the innings.
India started off looking confident with Jaiswal and Rohit getting off the mark in quick succession with stellar drives that had the ball running to the boundary with ease.
But Wood stuck lightning on his second over, as he swung in a wondrous delivery that was angled just outside off, drifting away and getting the nip of the deck off Jaiswal who just couldn’t resist the urge to take a swipe at it.
With the dismissal of one previous double-centurion, another centurion emerged from the stands as Shubman Gill took to the crease. But, this was where Anderson came in clutch, ensuring that Gill wouldn’t settle in, bowling delivery after delivery right outside off, forcing the youngster to just defend and wait cautiously to get off the mark.
Unfortunately for Gill, he never would as Wood came into the attack again and scalped him with almost an identical delivery that dismissed Jaiswal previously, angling in just outside off to catch the faintest of nicks from Gill’s bat, and he walked back to the pavilion for a duck.
Rajat Patidar came in next, and Anderson kept the same energy, keeping the new man on his toes with menacing tempters, that just wouldn’t allow Patidar to get off the mark.
The pressure was now on skipper Rohit Sharma to steer his team away from disaster, and it was no easy feat for him with the likes of James Anderson and Mark Wood continuing to pepper in angling deliveries and fiery bouncers to keep him unsettled.
The Indian skipper was already coming off four consecutive disappointing outings, failing to convert any of his starts so far. But, he seemed to have his mind set steadily building his innings, and with the help of a patient Jadeja on the other end, Rohit breathed life back into the Indian innings.
After a bit of a scare from a lofted shot off Anderson, Rohit switched gears again, opting to take on the bowlers as he went down the ground in classic Rohit fashion at timely intervals to punish the looser deliveries and counter the English bowling onslaught, and built his way up to a well-deserving and well-overdue fifty, his first of the series and the 17th of his Test career.
Jadeja, who was promoted up the order, kept his side of the bargain as well, batting with a sensational blend of maturity, patience and attacking intent, to help build up a fifty-run partnership with his skipper as India went in for lunch, at 93/3.
At lunch: IND 93/3 in 25 overs (Rohit Sharma 52*, Ravindra Jadeja 24* | Mark Wood 2/26 in 6 overs)
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