NEW DELHI: Just as the drinks break was called on Day 2 of the first Test at Headingley Stadium in Leeds, Mohammed Siraj, ever the character, walked up to the stumps and casually picked up an England batter’s bat, inspecting it with curiosity. Known not only for his fiery spells but also for his quirks, Siraj—who also holds a DSP post in Hyderabad—had beaten the bat on multiple occasions and extracted swing, but remained wicketless despite his spirited effort.Earlier in the day, England clawed back into the contest with a superb bowling fightback led by pacer Josh Tongue, who finished with figures of 4 for 86. India, from a dominant position at 430/3 with both Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant on centuries, suffered a dramatic collapse, losing their last seven wickets for just 41 runs and being bowled out for 471.India resumed Day 2 on 395/3 and added 53 runs without loss before drinks. Gill and Pant continued their sublime form—Gill stroked a delightful cover drive off Woakes, while Pant peppered the boundaries off Brydon Carse and Shoaib Bashir. Pant moved into the 90s with a falling scoop and then launched Bashir for a one-handed six over midwicket to bring up a spectacular century off 146 balls. He celebrated with his signature somersault—an ode to his gymnastics training in his younger days.
Pant’s onslaught continued with more sixes and boundaries, but the 209-run stand came to an end when Gill, attempting to reach his 150 in style, holed out to deep square leg for a classy 147. Karun Nair, making a long-awaited Test return after 3,011 days, fell for a duck—caught brilliantly by Ollie Pope.Pant, after scoring a scintillating 134, was eventually trapped lbw by a sharp nip-backer from Tongue. Shardul Thakur edged to the keeper on the stroke of lunch, as England walked off smiling. Post-lunch, Tongue cleaned up the tail with sharp reverse swing, dismissing Bumrah, Jadeja, and Prasidh Krishna, wrapping up India’s innings swiftly within 23 minutes of the second session.
