Anderson burst puts England in command

Jimmy Anderson was England's brilliant spearhead in Nagpur as Alastair Cook's team took control of the fourth Test against India on an absorbing second day.

Anderson bowled Virender Sehwag for a second ball duck in the opening over of India's reply to England's determined first innings of 330, and then followed up with the wickets of Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir as India slipped to 87 for 4 by stumps.

Sehwag played inside an inswinger, Tendulkar was cleaned up by an off-cutter that kept low, and Gambhir - deceived by Anderson's reverse swing - edged a ball angled across him to keeper Matt Prior. At the close, Anderson led England's players off the field with the outstanding figures of 9-2-24-3.

India's other top order wicket to fall was thaat of Cheteshwar Pujara, who was very unlucky to be given out caught by Ian Bell's remarkable right-handed diving reaction catch at short leg, an inch from the turf, when he pushed forward at Graeme Swann and the ball hit his elbow before his pad.

Tendulkar, who scored only 2, will now come under ever-increasing pressure about his future - or lack of it - at Test level at the age of 39, and although it was a superb delivery from Anderson, the Little Master was also caught on the crease by a lack of footwork. It was the ninth time that Anderson has dismissed Tendulkar in Tests, more than any other bowler.

Pujara made 26 in a second wicket stand of 58 with Gambhir, who had battled to 37 from 93 balls on a pitch that is lifeless but dry and cracked enough for the seamers to find some reverse swing when the ball gets more scuffed up by the surface and, as Monty Panesar in particular showed, offering a bit more turn for the spinners.

The day had begun with England on 199 for 5 after an attritional first day, and it started well too with Joe Root and Matt Prior taking their overnight partnership to 103 before Prior was bowled for a very good 57 by one from Ravi Ashwin, the off spinner, that went on with the arm from around the wicket.

Tim Bresnan fell for a second ball duck, lbw to Ishant Sharma, but Root kept grinding on and in Swann found an other effective partner as England took their total beyond 300 in a half-century stand.

Root's splendid maiden Test innings finally ended on 73, and the 21-year-old Yorkshireman looked furious with himself when he chipped a return catch to Piyush Chawla as he tried to whip the legspinner wide of mid on. He had battled for almost five hours, facing 229 balls.

Swann twice swung Ravindra Jadeja's slow left arm for six, the first of the match, and had reached 56 from 91 balls before missing an over-optimistic reverse sweep at Chawla, who then sent back Anderson cheaply to finish with 4 for 69. It was Anderson, however, who emerged as the day's central figure and England, already, will be thinking about finishing this fascinating four-match series with a 3-1 win - and that after losing the opening game in Ahmedabad by a heavy margin.


 



Date: 14/12/2012 11:20:00 by TheCricketer
In: Today | England |