England India - First Test

[sunny-dave]

At last - some proper cricket after the pyjama-clad nonsense that has taken up so much of the summer so far.

An interesting series with two quite well matched teams - and some genuine superstars on show :

Kohli in his pomp - but can he do it in English conditions against a Duke ball?

Root - 'probably the best batsman in the world except for ... Kohli'?

Anderson and Broad - getting near the last hurrah for this pair?

Cook - ditto?

Plus an unlikely return for Rashid - can he do it over 5 days with a red ball?


Coffee brewing, TV on mute and TMS on the radio ... off we go

SD xx

[sunny-dave]

If you'd asked England at start of play yesterday whether they'd settle for a tiny lead on first innings , they'd have bitten your metaphorical hand off.

But it could/should have been so much better - they may struggle today with Cook already gone & Ashwin full of confidence.

There were some horrible stats about how many catches England have dropped over the last couple of years - no wonder they struggle to bowl sides out.

[Garaman]

I agree. That fantastic spell of bowling yesterday should have sealed it. It isn't just the runs but the psychological effect that would have had on both sides.

[Garaman]

Well done Sam Curran. Come one now England let's have a couple of early wickets and put the pressure on.