Anderson takes 4 wkts
London: A defiant Ajinkya Rahane struck a commanding 103 to pull India out of trouble after a mid-innings collapse on a lively Lord’s track as the visitors ended the first day’s play on 290 for nine in the second Test here on Thursday.
Picking up the pieces from 145 for seven in the final session, Rahane, notching up his second Test ton in seven matches, stitched a 90-run eighth-wicket partnership with Bhuvneshwar Kumar (36) to give the visitors respect on a day dominated by the England seamers.
Rahane, who brought up his century with a boundary off Stuart Broad (2-79), was authoritative in his strokeplay as the number-five batsman hit 15 fours and a six in his 154-ball stay at the crease.
Pace spearhead James Anderson (4-55) was the one who led England’s charge as the hosts made merry on a seaming track after skipper Alastair Cook won the toss and had no hesitations in bowling first.
Putting the Ravindra Jadeja controversy to one side, a determined Anderson became the highest wicket-taker in England, surpassing fast-bowling legend Fred Trueman when he accounted for Shikhar Dhawan (7) in the morning session.
Anderson has managed to bag 233 scalps of his overall 363 wickets on English soil with Trueman (229) and former skipper Ian Botham (226) behind him.
Rahane was Anderson’s final scalp of the day after a quick-reflex return catch ended the batsman’s exceptional innings on a green-top wicket.
Post-tea, Rahane – 26 not out – had continued his partnership with Stuart Binny (9), but the duo could not carry on together for too long.
They had made just five runs after the break when Rahanelost his partner to Anderson, trapped LBW. It was then that India experienced their most productive batting stand of the day.
The Bhuvi-Rahane combination started by reaching the 150-run mark quickly and then was helped by some bad bowling from England in the third session.
Rahane brought up his half-century off 101 balls, with seven fours, and the 50-run partnership then came up in the 75th over of the day.
An over later and they brought up India’s 200, something that looked improbable in the post-lunch session.
England took the new ball and broke the partnership in the 82nd over, with Kumar bowled by Broad after his 84-ball stay, laced with seven fours).
Mohammed Shami (14 not out) and Ishant Sharma (12 not out) hung on in the final few overs to frustrate the England bowlers.
Earlier, India collapsed from 73/2 at lunch to 140/6 at tea, losing four wickets for just 67 runs as Cook’s decision to bowl first paid dividends.
Ballance reprimanded for drunken binge
Meanwhile, England’s top-order batsman Gary Ballance has been handed a stern warning by team coach Peter Moores over the left-hander’s conduct in a drunken state at a Nottingham pub after the end of the first Test. Pictures of Ballance in a topless state with a beer can in hand were splashed all over the British newspapers but the ECB has decided that a warning is enough for the talented batsman, who scored a gritty half-century in the first match against India.
He was pictured dancing in the nightclub and was then carried out drunk. (PTI)
SCORECARD
India 1st inn:
M Vijay c Ballance b Plunkett 24
S Dhawan c B’llance b And’son 7
C Pujara b Stokes 28
V Kohli c Prior b Anderson 25
A Rahane c & b Anderson 103
MS Dhoni c Prior b Broad 1
R Jadeja b Ali 3
S Binny lbw b Anderson 9
B Kumar b Broad 36
M Shami batting 14
Ishant batting 12
Extras: (b-17, lb-10, nb-1) 28
Total: (9 wkts; 90 overs) 290
FOW: 1-11, 2-48, 3-86, 4-113, 5-123, 6-128, 7-145, 8-235, 9-275
Bowling: Anderson 22-7-55-4, Broad 22-5-79-2, Plunkett 15-5-51-1, Stokes 17-5-40-1, Ali 14-2-38-1