1st Test (Leeds) - 20th June

[govinda indian fan]

And yet he averages 31 overseas, which really emphasises my point.

Also chill, there was nothing in that post that required you to fly off the handle

Sorry

 

[honestbharani]

As good as Pant is, him lining up at 3 down just does not feel right. For all the talk of balance, we still haven't figured this one out. At least rejig Sudarshan and Nair around 3 and 5 (yes, that means giving them more chances this series), and let Pant assume some semblance of a more conventional batsman-keeper role.

Nah he has forever been our best #5. Come on.

 

[cnerd123]

Great session.

Pant is unlucky to be in the same generation as Bumrah - he would be the most memorable player of basically any other era. Right up there with Sehwag. Such a great innings.

Always great to see Lokesh do well too.

I thought England bowled well at the start. Pant opened up after his fifty and they were a bit rattled. Settled down once he got into his nervous 90s and then ended strong.

Hope Karun kicks on to make a good score.

This has been a great game. Still no one team completely ahead.

 

[andruid]

Is it too early to bring back Archer and bowl him into the ground?

 

[kevinw]

Is it too early to bring back Archer and bowl him into the ground?

Who's this Cook guy with 2-29 for Essex at the moment?

 

[Molehill]

I thought England bowled well at the start.

I'd like to know what happened to that pitch from the first hour of the day. England could easily have taken 4 during that period, but have barely looked like getting one at all since.

 

[Burgey]

I'd like to know what happened to that pitch from the first hour of the day. England could easily have taken 4 during that period, but have barely looked like getting one at all since.

Ball getting softer might have taken the sting out? We’ll know soon enough if they take the second one and it starts playing up again

 

[Molehill]

Ball getting softer might have taken the sting out? We’ll know soon enough if they take the second one and it starts playing up again

Maybe, but that ball was 25 overs old, so it wasn't exactly fresh. I wonder if it was a morning thing?

Anyway, if I'm Gill, I'm telling the players to go hell for leather for 90 mins, then get 45 mins tonight, essentially giving Bumrah two spells with the new ball.

 

[sayon basak]

Who's this Cook guy with 2-29 for Essex at the moment?

Sam Cook, debuted vs ZIM. Got some great numbers in FC.

 

[Burgey]

Sam Cook, debuted vs ZIM. Got some great numbers in FC.

Good singer too

 

[honestbharani]

India have definitely had the better of the conditions overall, though I think England have only themselves to blame for not doing better earlier today.

 

[Molehill]

India have definitely had the better of the conditions overall, though I think England have only themselves to blame for not doing better earlier today.

If you win the toss and choose to hand the best of the conditions to your opponent you only have yourselves to blame. We all said at the toss it was questionable, nothing that has happened since has changed opinions.

 

[Aritro]

If you win the toss and choose to hand the best of the conditions to your opponent you only have yourselves to blame. We all said at the toss it was questionable, nothing that has happened since has changed opinions.

Yeah it was just ****ing silly. No need to try reinvent the wheel all the time.

 

[honestbharani]

If you win the toss and choose to hand the best of the conditions to your opponent you only have yourselves to blame. We all said at the toss it was questionable, nothing that has happened since has changed opinions.

Yeah but I meant what's done is done. They still had great conditions today, plus they got reverse in the first innings which India could not, coz conditions were windy and cold when we bowled which is as much of a disadvantage for bowling sides, esp. SC sides. They let a couple of those advantages slip, just like we let our advantages slip on day 1 and then early innings day 2 when you guys batted.

 

[Thala_0710]

We should be playing a bit quicker here... Get the lead upto 400 ASAP and give Bumrah a spell today at them

 

[Aritro]

Commentator being very generous saying that was a "good effort from Bashir". U wot m8. Regulation save on the boundary wasn't it

 

[Johan]

Nair doing out work here for us

 

[Aritro]

Poor Nair wanting to be extra cautious to make sure he plays another test. 7 off 29 and desperate to get over the double figures hurdle first. Meanwhile his team want quick runs so they can declare. Life isn't fair.

 

[Molehill]

And where did Rahul go then? No wonder over rates are poor when batsmen run off the field only 25 mins into a session.

 

[centurymaker]

I don't think India will give England more than 30 mins tonight, so there's no rush to score quickly.