Pacer Anshul Kamboj claimed his first Test wicket, dismissing Ben Duckett in the third session of Day 2 of the fourth Test between England and India. The hosts had a fantastic start with the bat, as openers Zak Crawley and Duckett laid a foundation with a blistering partnership of 166 runs. Crawley, who had a subpar series so far, got going before departing for 84 runs. Ravindra Jadeja got the better of him.
Soon after that, Duckett departed for 94 runs off 100 balls. Anshul Kamboj had a rough start to the day, but managed to pick up the prized wicket of Duckett. The 30-year-old was taking the game out of India’s reach, and that’s when Anshul Kamboj gave the breakthrough. Notably, the England opener edged one to keeper Dhruv Jurel, who picked up a simple catch. In the meantime, Anshul Kamboj was elated but he still has plenty left to do.
After being asked to bat first, India ended the opening day (July 23) at 264/4, with wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant retiring hurt due to a foot injury. Despite the setback, Rishabh Pant resumed his innings the next morning, battling through a fractured foot to score a gritty 54 and take India’s total to 358.
England began their reply shortly before the tea break and made a strong start in the 14 overs before stumps, reaching 77 without loss. Ben Duckett scored 43*, while Zak Crawley remained unbeaten on 33. During the session break, both Ricky Ponting and Nasser Hussain questioned the logic behind opening the bowling with Anshul Kamboj and Jasprit Bumrah, instead of bringing in the more experienced Mohammed Siraj.
Naseer Hussain slams Shubman Gill’s captaincy tactics for preferring Anshul Kamboj over Mohammed Siraj
India’s decision to hand the new ball to debutant Anshul Kamboj instead of experienced pacer Mohammed Siraj during the ongoing Manchester Test against England has sparked debate among critics. Former England captain Nasser Hussain also appeared surprised and confused by the move. Speaking to Sky Sports after the end of the second session on Day 2, Nasser Hussain expressed concern over India’s bowling tactics.
“Slightly changing conditions, but they bowled very poorly. A change in overhead conditions doesn’t make you bowl both sides of the wicket. Too many balls on the pads. Captain’s decisions… didn’t quite agree with, to be honest. Kamboj wasn’t in the squad a week ago, to bring him into the team and give him a new ball ahead of Siraj… seems odd.”
Naseer Hussain added that he would have used Siraj differently in the early part of England’s innings.
“I would’ve gone for Siraj for a short burst, then switched him to the other end to follow Bumrah. We’ve all been talking about the green channel on the strip across… this is the end where Stokes bowled and got his fifer, and got uneven bounce and sideways movement. Everything that could go wrong has gone wrong,” he concluded.
The 23-year-old Anshul Kamboj bowled ten overs on day two and picked up his maiden Test wicket by dismissing Ben Duckett, who was looking dangerous on 94. However, the youngster seemed a bit nervy and gave away 48 runs.
Meanwhile, Mohammed Siraj — a regular feature in India’s pace attack — went wicketless in his 10 overs. Jasprit Bumrah also remained without a wicket despite bowling 13 overs. In reply to India’s first-innings total of 358, England made a strong start. Zak Crawley scored 84, and Duckett contributed 94, powering England to 225/2 in 46 overs at stumps on Day 2. The hosts now trail by 133 runs.
What was once thought to be a good score turned out not to be. Courtesy of a half-century from Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, and Rishabh Pant, India posted 358 runs in the first innings. The wicket that assisted the England bowlers well turned out to be a nightmare for the Shubman Gill-led side as England scored freely. The Indian bowlers couldn’t pose any threat and England pretty easily held the grip of the match.
The hosts were reduced to 197/2 at one stage but India couldn’t keep up with the momentum. England toppled the 200-run barrier and kept the scoreboard ticking. The visitors desperately need wickets, else the game can quickly slip out of their hands. Day 3 holds importance, but as things stand, the Ben Stokes-led side will be hoping for a healthy lead in the first innings. India on the other hand nned to rectify their bowling mistakes as early as possible if they want to make any sort of comeback in the Test match dominated by England especially on Day 2.
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