England vs India 2018, 3rd Test, Day 2 - Five Talking Points

India extended its dominance in the third game of five-match Test series at Trent Bridge with impressive bowling on day two. As it stands, the visitors have taken a 292-run lead and have eight wickets in hand ahead of the third day’s play.

The men in blue lost three wickets in quick succession on day two after resuming the inning on 307 for six.

However, the England openers, Alastair Cook and Keaton Jennings put an opening partnership of 54 runs. Later, it was Ishant Sharma who provided the first breakthrough by removing Alastair Cook. It was followed by a brilliant spell from Hardik Pandya who destroyed the middle-order of England with his maiden five-for.

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In the second session, England got all-out on 161 with the Jos Buttler being the top scorer with 39 runs. Jasprit Bumrah provided the final breakthrough. India, on the other hand, had the lead of 168 runs.

Here are the five talking points of Day 2

The maiden five-for from Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya’s spell can only be termed with the words like outstanding, fabulous and likewise. Virat Kohli handed him the ball in 26th over, and he removed England skipper straight after.

Hardik Pandya bowled an excellent spell of six overs that included a maiden and a five-wicket haul. The all-rounder leaked just 28 runs in his extraordinary stuff.

Five catches from Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant became the first Indian to collect five catches behind the wickets on his debut. He became overall the third wicketkeeper to achieve this feat in his first game as well.

Overall, Pant is the fourth Indian to collect five catches in a Test match behind the wickets. The list includes – Tamhane, Kiran More, and Naman Ojha.

The unsung hero – Ishant Sharma

Ishant Sharma is a someone towards whom a captain hands over the ball when he needs a breakthrough. The situation was no different in the first inning of the third Test at Trent Bridge.

Ishant Sharma removed Alastair Cook after he was looking deadliest along with Keaton Jennings. He took two wickets in his nine overs spell on day two.

Jos Buttler’s Hard-Hitting

Jos Buttler made a Test comeback after putting one back to back strong performance in the Indian Premier League. He found his name in the Test series against Pakistan and had a good run since then.

In the series against India, Buttler could not leave any impact so far. Many cricketing greats advised selectors to drop him from the squad as well.

However, Jos was the lone warrior in the first inning. Though he scored only 39, he displayed his ability to enjoy the time at the crease.

The Swinging Conditions

The fierce spell from Pandya who took a five-for in just six overs shows what the surface and conditions at Trent Bridge have to offer.

Stuart Broad bowled a beautiful inswinger to castle Ravichandran Ashwin. The kind of bowling show India displayed, it is safe to say that pitch took a sudden turn after a slight drizzle in the morning.