India’s openers put on a 91-run opening stand, but England recovered well by scoring twice late in the first session. With the visitors leaving for lunch at 92/2, it tipped the game’s balance on the first morning at Headingley.
India’s openers were a little cautious when they first got into the game, but they were also skilled at putting away everything that came into their zone. A few times, Yashasvi Jaiswal was put to the test when the ball moved inside his pads, but he was able to keep it out. Only a few scary moments occurred throughout the first hour, despite a few drives being cut uppishly through the gully area.
Instead, the innings’ flow was interspersed with visually striking drives. While Jaiswal creamed a few down the ground, Rahul laced a couple through covers. India scored up to nine runs in the first hour alone, most of which came from boundaries. After Josh Tongue, the first-change bowler, hit Jaiswal from outside the wicket, England wasted one review against him for an LBW appeal. However, the angle made sure the ball was pitching outside leg and moving downward.
In the first hour, England was also guilty of frequently overpitching, which led to additional boundaries being given up.
Due to all of this, the first ten overs of the contest ended without a wicket for the first time in the previous seven Test matches played at Headingley. However, Jaiswal missed some cut attempts and kept them engaged with a few plays. Both hitters gained confidence in their ability to play the shots as the session went on. However, England’s bowlers were never far away due to the steady movement.
Before Rahul played one cover drive too many and ended up nicking the first slip with minutes left before the lunch break, Jaiswal and Rahul put up an almost flawless session for India. When rookie Sai Sudharsan went out to join Jaiswal, who was in his forties, Carse’s breakthrough raised England’s spirits. However, Sudharsan’s debut was forgettable after he was caught for a duck after nicking a delivery down the legside off Stokes. England was able to recover just in time thanks to the double punch.
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