Yashasvi Jaiswal puts India in strong position despite missing out on century
The India opener looked on course for a fourth Test century before England captain Ben Stokes struck just before tea.
Ben Stokes denied Yashasvi Jaiswal yet another century against England but the opener’s knock of 87 gave India a strong start in the second Rothesay Test at Edgbaston.
Buoyed by his side’s triumphant fourth-innings chase at Headingley last week, Stokes won the toss and sent the tourists into bat once again only to see them reach 182 for three at tea.
Jaiswal scored a day one hundred in the series opener – his third in just seven Tests against England – and was eyeing another when he flashed at a wide tempter and nicked behind in the run-up to tea.
That lifted the home side’s spirits as they laboured away on a flat deck under blue skies as India laid solid foundations. Earlier, Chris Woakes and Byrdon Carse had struck in an evenly-fought morning session.
After a slow start at Leeds, Woakes was back on song at his home ground and did his best to get the new ball talking.
He produced an immaculate seven-over spell, including four maidens, and deserved more than the solitary wicket of KL Rahul.
The breakthrough came almost 40 minutes into Woakes’ examination, the opener chopping down his stumps as he looked to break the stranglehold.
Regularly nipping the ball off the seam, Woakes came close to seeing off Jaiswal on 12 and Karun Nair on five. Twice England went up for big lbw shouts, twice they failed to win the on-field decision and twice Stokes signalled for DRS.
To the bowler’s visible frustration, ball-tracking suggested he would have hit the bails on both occasions but fell within the margin of umpire’s call.
At the other end, Carse touched 92mph, but was unable to match Woakes’ menace.
India took the change of bowling as an invitation to cut loose after a watchful start, with Josh Tongue on the receiving end.
His initial six-over burst shipped 42 runs and eight boundaries, Jaiswal and Nair both pouncing on drives as the Nottinghamshire man overpitched repeatedly.
Having paid the price for going too full, Tongue reverted to the short ball, only for Jaiswal to hook and cut him for the three fours in a row as he rushed to his half-century.
Carse replaced him just before the interval and struck almost immediately, forcing Nair back with a touch of extra bounce as an edge sprayed to second slip for 31.
After resuming at 98 for two the afternoon session became a bout of shadow boxing, neither side landing a decisive blow. India added 84, captain Gill setting the tone for a quiet period as he made a meticulous 42 from 109 deliveries.
England managed one success between lunch and tea but it was a big one – Stokes throwing one up wide of the off-stump channel and inviting Jaiswal to attack. He obliged, but was unable to get his timing right and feathered a simple catch to Jamie Smith.
It was a dismissal which relied on a batting error, but Stokes’ knee-pumping celebration suggested a plan had paid off.
