Sudharsan gets off the mark by working Woakes off his legs for two round the corner. That also brings up India’s hundred. The young left-hander seems to have a better idea of where his off stump is than he did at Headingley, leaving well on line.
Can Carse back up his best over? Sort of but not quite. Five tight deliveries in the channel to Jaiswal, one whistling past the opener’s edge as he pushes down the line but manages to stop his hands flinching towards the late moving ball, undone with a four-ball, loose and greasy outside off. England have posted a point sweeper to cut off his crashing square cut so he opens the face to dab it finer for four through third man.
Sudharsan, the tall left-hander, has a leg slip in for him. England believe he falls over to the offside because, as Ricky Ponting says, his stance is very closed, his feet unusually close together for the modern age. Woakes beats him twice as Sai struggles to get his feet moving, making him play and miss to movement outside off and he leaves another three on purpose. Maiden.
That wicket has put a spring in the step of Carse who ties Jaiswal up with a maiden, the ball now zipping around off a consistently fuller length and nipping both ways to the left-hander, scudding one into Jaiswal’s pads as he shaped to play it expecting it to move away.
England are not being patient with their plans. Having beaten Rahul on the cut with one that nibbled away, Woakes then goes far too full and straight and is cuffed off his pads for two. And having juts written that sentence Woakes finds the perfect length, nibble, bounce and gets his reward for being England’s best bowler so far!
Rahul c Crawley b Woakes 46 Inbetween length. Rahul tried to slap it off the back foot through extra-cover but a bit of nip did for him, kissed the edge and carried to third slip at knee height. FOW 94/1
WOAKESYYYY!
KL Rahul nicks to Zak Crawley at second slip and we have our first 😍
🇮🇳 9️⃣4️⃣-1️⃣ pic.twitter.com/rPMg1hnngO
It’s taken 30 overs, but it’s hard to argue England are worth that.
Time for Sai Sudharsan for the first time since Leeds. Yesterday, in the rain, he walked barefoot out onto the covers and did some visualisation.
Carse must be trying to turn Jaiswal’s strength against him, hoping for an error in execution. How else to explain why, having been carved for four off the last ball of his previous over, he gain hangs two, back of a length, outside off? Both are scythed but when a fielder stops the first Carse still goes for the same again next ball and Jaiswal clobbers it in front of square for four.
Carse goes fuller next ball and is worked through midwicket for a single. This has been Carse’s worst start to an innings yet in Tests. He is all over the shop.
Scyld’s got a cake!
Some wobble for Woakes but Rahul defends late with soft hands until the bowler drops short and he flicks him off his hip for two.
At a run-rate a gnat’s whisker below three, England will be pleased that India haven’t got away from them having put them in. They have not had the greatest of luck with edges carrying but I’m not sure overheads should dictate your decision at the toss on a pitch as flaccid as this. Rahul clips Carse off his bootlaces for a single and Carse comes round the wicket to Jaiswal who gets his nose over a string of forward and backward defensives, one of them to a no-ball that forces Carse to resume an over he thought was complete.
The extra-ball is short and Jaiswal clatters it on the cut, rolling his wrists to slap it for four. Woakes is going to have a first go from the Statham End.
Pretty much on time. Brydon Carse will open up for England, now from the Anderson End. KL is on strike with three slips.
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