It took 35 balls for Cheteshwar Pujara to get off the mark. When he eventually did, defending the ball on the off side and sprinting across to the other end, his single was met with a loud cheer from the English fans at Lord’s.
In a way, it was an indication of how comfortably placed the hosts were in the morning session of Day 4, of the second Test, yesterday.
Even before India could take the lead, Mark Wood had dismissed both the Indian openers – K. L. Rahul and Rohit Sharma. The pacer, brought early on into the attack as the first change option, troubled the duo with extra pace. Rahul, the first innings centurion, outside-edged a delivery that angled in before kissing his bat on its way to the keeper.
Rohit, on the other hand, played to England’s plans. With three fielders stationed to patrol the leg-side boundary, the Indian opener took on Wood’s bouncer and ended up getting holed out at deep backward square leg by Moeen Ali.
Chief scores
India: 364 and 56/3 at lunch (Mark Wood 2/16) England: 391 (Joe Root 180 n.o, Jonny Bairstow 57, Mohammad Siraj 4/94, Ishant Sharma 3/69).
(Agencies)