The first day of the Rose Bowl test has been tough on the Indian bowlers as the England batsmen have made a strong comeback in this Test match with the help of superb innings from Gary Ballance and Alastair Cook. The 158 run partnership between Ballance and Cook has laid a strong foundation for the home team from where they can aim for a big total in the first innings. Gary Ballance’s third century in his last six games only goes on to show how special the talent he is. At the same time, Alastair Cook has also played a captain’s knock and it becomes even more special considering the kind of pressure he is going through after the Lord’s defeat.
India is definitely going to miss Ishant Sharma in this Test match especially after his match winning spell at the Lord’s. However, I’m impressed with the way Pankaj Singh has bowled in his first Test. He not only has pace but also gets the ball to move both ways, which makes him more special to me. It would have been a dream debut for him had R Jadeja not dropped Alastair Cook’s catch in the slips.
On day 2, the Indian team has to look for wickets if they want to avoid a big total from the home team in the first innings. If England is able to post a total of 450 plus in this Test, then it will be a strong comeback from the England as one session can quickly turn the tables for them.
