Siraj’s fiery spell sparks India fightback after England’s opening blitz

Siraj's Fiery Spell Sparks India Fightback

After a difficult morning, India clawed their way back with six wickets in the afternoon session on Day 2. Mohammed Siraj's inspired spell helped India restrict England's opening blitz.

India's Adjustments Pay Off

India made subtle but crucial adjustments after lunch, pitching the ball fuller and bowling straighter. Prasidh Krishna struck in his first over, getting Zak Crawley to miscue a pull. Siraj replaced Akash Deep and made an immediate impact, striking with his fourth ball. Ollie Pope was trapped in front by an in-ducker, and Joe Root fell LBW, unable to bring his bat down in time.

Siraj's second spell read: 8 overs, 3 wickets, 35 runs, and a false shot percentage of 31.2. Prasidh came back to end the session, getting extra bounce on a length delivery that Jamie Smith could only edge to KL Rahul at second slip.

England's Opening Blitz

Earlier in the day, England dominated. India lost their final four wickets for just 20 runs in 29 minutes, with Gus Atkinson completing his five-wicket haul. England's reply was brutal, with Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley bringing up the fifty in just seven overs. They surged to 109 for 1 by lunch, the third-fastest team hundred against India in Test history.

Brief Scores

India 224 (Nair 57; Atkinson 5-22) lead England 215/7 (Crawley 64, Duckett 43; Prasidh Krishna 3-51, Siraj 3-66) by 9 runs