India vs England, 2nd Test: Yashasvi Jaiswal resilient 179* is lone ...

VIZAG: On a day of intense action, Yashasvi Jaiswal’s stroke filled, undefeated century stood between England and another ordinary batting display from India. Jaiswal, however, stood tall even as wickets fell around him. The left handed opener’s second Test ton (batting on 179; 257b, 17x4, 5x6) and his first in only his second game at home was in total contrast to the efforts of the other Indian batsmen, who got starts but failed to carry on as India ended Day One at 336/6.The 22-year-old Jaiswal was unfazed by all that was happening around him and made the England attack including the celebrated James Anderson toil as India took their first steps towards regaining lost ground in the series.

Tom Hartley, England’s hero in the first Test, bowled only 18 overs in the day. Joe Root bowled slower through the air and looked more in control as compared to debutant offie Shoaib Bashir. Ben Stokes summoned leggie Rehan Ahmed only in the 60th over of the day. All these changes made no impression on Jaiswal. He was associated in successive stands of 40, 49, 90 (131b), 70 (124b) and 52 (86b) with Nos. 2 through 6. India started the day with Rajat Patidar making his debut, Kuldeep Yadav replacing Jadeja and Mukesh Kumar coming in for Mohammed Siraj. Shubman Gill showed flashes of brilliance in his 34. A peach of an inside-out cover-drive off Bashir was easily the highlight of his 46- ball innings before he fell to Anderson for the fifth time in Tests. The India No. 3 had edged the previous delivery to third man but the 41-year-old Anderson, who bowled more overs than Mark Wood in Hyderabad, had wicket No. 691 when Gill went at him with hard hands. Wicketkeeper Ben Foakes did the rest. Whether it was coming down the wicket to smother the spin at the ACA-VDCA Stadium or picking gaps in the attacking, in-out field set by skipper Ben Stokes, Gill and Jaiswal looked in control during their second-wicket partnership. This was after captain Rohit Sharma, having won the toss and decided to bat, flicked straight to Ollie Pope at leg slip to give debutant Bashir his maiden Test wicket. Introduced into the attack in the 12th over after India got the best of batting conditions on a pitch where the bowlers’ footmarks will soon come into play, Bashir, the lanky 20-year-old from Somerset, will remember his first spell of 10-1-39-1. Shreyas Iyer (27; 59b, 3x4) and Jaiswal were involved in the most productive stand of the day before the former cut a Hartley delivery that kept low and was too close to his body, only for Foakes to come up with a fine low catch. Patidar (32; 72b) acquitted himself well he showed no big match nerves and one of his three boundaries was a reverse sweep before Rehan Ahmed bowled him with a delivery that rolled on to the stumps off a defensive prod. Axar Patel and KS Bharat were never in discomfort during their short stints but both perished attempting the cut.