On the back of an unbeaten century by Ollie Pope and a half-century from Ben Duckett, England finished Day 2 at 209/3, still trailing India by 262 runs in the first innings. While Jasprit Bumrah was impressive, the rest of the Indian bowlers failed to make an impact. Additionally, poor fielding cost India dearly, as multiple chances were missed that could have shifted the momentum in their favour.
India Missed Crucial Chances
After India posted a first-innings total of 471, Bumrah gave the team a perfect start by dismissing Zak Crawley in the very first over. However, the next 9 overs saw Indian fielders drop three catches. These missed chances proved costly. Duckett, who scored 62, was dropped twice when he was on 15. Ollie Pope was also dropped on 60 by Yashasvi Jaiswal in the slips. In total, at least three catches off Bumrah’s bowling were missed.
Bumrah Stood Out, Others Disappointed
Rain delayed the start of England’s innings by about half an hour. Once play resumed, the conditions favoured fast bowling. Bumrah struck early, but lacked support from the other end. Mohammed Siraj was expensive in his initial spell but tightened up after switching ends and after Prasidh Krishna came into the attack. However, Krishna leaked runs consistently. England crossed 50 runs within 10 overs and reached 100 before completing 22 overs.
India Collapsed: 7 Wickets for 41 Runs
India resumed Day 2 on 359/3 and reached a solid 471 before getting bowled out. The first hour of play belonged to India, with Rishabh Pant completing his century. However, England staged a strong comeback by taking four wickets before lunch and the remaining three shortly after. India lost their last 7 wickets for just 41 runs. This became the lowest total in Test history for a team after having three centurions in a single innings. Josh Tongue and Ben Stokes were the pick of the bowlers for England, claiming 4 wickets each. Jaiswal and Gill scored centuries on Day 1, while Pant brought up his hundred on Day 2.