India 182 for 3 at tea, Day One, Edgbaston.
Yashasvi Jaiswal 87 (155 balls, 13 fours)
Shubman Gill 42; Rishabh Pant 14
Chris Woakes 1 for 32, Brydon Carse 1 for 45, Ben Stokes 1 for 18
Ben Stokes produced the only breakthrough of a steady middle session, removing Yashasvi Jaiswal for 87, yet India still walked in for tea handily placed at 182 for 3 on the opening day of the second Test.
The left-hander had looked set for what would have been a sixth Test hundred—and a fourth against England—before he chased a wide ball and feathered it through to Jamie Smith. One slash too many, perhaps, but until that point Jaiswal had built on the start provided in the morning and extended his remarkable run of scoring at least fifty in every Test he has played against England.
“It was about trusting my areas and scoring opportunities,” Jaiswal noted to the host broadcaster during the interval. “I felt good, just disappointed not to carry on.”
Shubman Gill, on 42 not out, now carries the bulk of India’s hopes on a surface offering only occasional seam movement and moderate bounce. Rishabh Pant, typically unruffled at 14*, has already lofted Shoaib Bashir over long-on for the first six of the match.
Morning wobble, then progress
England’s new-ball pair made early inroads after Rohit Sharma chose to bat. Chris Woakes needed just seven overs to pin KL Rahul in front for a painstaking two from 26 balls. Woakes’ return of 1 for 15 included four consecutive maidens and two lbw shouts that were turned down on umpire’s call—one against Jaiswal on 12, the other against Karun Nair on 5.
Woakes’ partner Brydon Carse got his reward six minutes before lunch when a climbing length ball took Nair’s splice and Harry Brook held the chance at second slip. Nair’s 31, however, had helped raise 80 for the second wicket and loosened England’s early grip.
Tongue’s brief burst, Stokes’ short stuff
Josh Tongue, operating first change, leaked 34 off six overs, his third conceding three boundaries and his sixth another three in a row as Stokes shifted to the now-routine bumper plan. Jaiswal hooked Tongue to 49, then upper-cut him for four to bring up a brisk fifty from 59 deliveries. A back-foot carve through third took him to 54; soon he was 81, having threaded Tongue nicely past the cordon.
Stokes eventually turned to himself shortly before tea. Second ball of a fresh spell, a temptingly wide half-volley, and Jaiswal’s hands went after it. Smith did the rest. Stokes punched the air, more in relief than celebration.
India shuffle the pack
The visitors made four changes after the Headingley defeat, the headline being Jasprit Bumrah’s absence. “We felt Lord’s will offer Bumrah more than this track,” vice-captain Gill explained before play. In came Akash Deep for a Test debut, along with Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar. Sai Sudharsan and Shardul Thakur were left out.
So far, the pitch has rewarded patience with the bat more than persistence with the ball. England’s seamers have stayed at the task without reward after Jaiswal’s exit; Mark Wood, rested for this match, might have fancied a dart on this surface.
What next?
England need early wickets after the interval or risk watching the game drift. India, a batter light on paper, will eye 350-plus to keep a fresh bowling unit out of the firing line. Conditions have been kind, but Edgbaston’s slope and occasional cloud can play tricks late in the day.
For now, Stokes has the consolation of removing the man who looked certain for three figures. Whether that proves a turning point or a footnote will be known by stumps.
