Not to lose control

There have been a lot of instances wherein India have lost control over the Test match from a strong position, right here at the very same venue when they toured last time. Also they have slumped in the last two overseas tours owing to a soft and slippery grip on the match, be it Jo'burg or Wellington, despite out-of-the-mind-heroics from Faf and Mccullum, it was a match lost by India(though the match drew at both the occasions). The good thing about Test cricket is that this format tests your patience right through the five days, bad thing is that one loses that key weapon of patience, early nowadays. So just two days have gone by in this already-exciting-test, The English will come come hard at us in the next few days, because both these teams understand the value of an early win in a long series. But as mentioned before, England will counter attack, but do not expect a five or six runs per over session, rather it will be a test for the bowlers of India. They will block, leave, duck and will not hesitate to frustrate the bowler. To counter all this, a team needs confidence that has already been provided by the batsmen(including tail-enders)  with Murali Vijay playing a spectacular innings and Dhoni playing second fiddle.

Earlier on the day, Vijay and Dhoni took on from where they left, as expected, they were a bit cautious in handling Anderson and Broad, for they knew the importance of staying at the wicket at least in the first session. They took risks of minimal intensity with both the batsmen taking toll on the bowlers. Stokes kept striking outside the off stump to expect a little luck in tempting the batsmen to drive, but both Vijay and Dhoni were far beyond losing concentration as they knew their job that laid before them. They were all set and both knew that they were due for a big score, just then Vijay got out from an Anderson delivery that moved in sharply. Vijay had to depart, despite for the fact that the ball had missed the stumps, for 146 that included 25 fours and a sweetly timed six. Dhoni and Jadeja held on to the wicket for a while before Jadeja fell for a quickfire 25 off just 24 balls, even before someone could tell him that this was not a T20. With the blink of an eye, four wickets had fallen for just two runs and India were at their usual plight, of not able to capitalize to score a big total. Two bowlers were at the crease, The English bowlers decided to rattle up the line up to start their innings. But did they? Were The English bowlers successful against The Indian Bowlers, who were actually batting. 

A 111-run stand between The Number 10 and Number 11 came as a surprise for both the teams(including the batting duo). Mind it, there were no slog shots, except for a few. They played responsible cricket, they knew that each and every run of their bat, while their stay at the crease, was vital for Team India. Bhuvi drove and flicked while Shami cut and glanced, as at one point, both these batsmen admired their follow-throughs with the strike of a boundary. No more slip. There were men at the boundary to stop the run flow and there were men who stood next to the umpire, to create panic in the name of attacking, but both these batsmen enjoyed their stay. It took a miscue from a Moeen Ali delivery for Bhuvaneshwar to get out. While his partner reached fifty with a hefty strike for a six off Jimmy Anderson, the other took his time and took a single to reach the maiden milestone. The entire crowd applauded, their teammates stood up and welcomed the Last wicket heroes. They had batted for a solid two hours with the commentators using the word 'frustration' in context to the bowlers for about forty five times. Plunkett, Broad, Stokes and Anderson were just blown away with this knock from both the batsmen. 

With 43/1 in their scorecard, The England batsmen would like to settle and go for a big score by taking a lead. There will be patient innings from Moeen Ali, Ian Bell and Joe Root. What is important is that the bowlers, five of them playing, have to strike the right areas each and everytime throughout the day. No loose balls. Four good deliveries can beat a batsman, but one bad ball can demoralize the bowler. Ishant, supposed to the spearhead, has to strike in this wicket, though termed flat, which is expected to change over the next few days. Chances of the pitch slowing down is also high. Thereby, unless we pick up the wickets early and gain a good lead over the opposition, the second innings, for that matter for both the teams, is going to be not easy. With the third day of the First match starting in another few hours, both these teams know the importance of this day. Crucial for the Indian bowlers to strike and The England batsmen to settle and change the course of the test match, clearly dominated by India so far. The Indian bowlers have stuck with the bat, time for them to buckle up and rattle the batting line up of The England Cricket team.