STATS HIGHLIGHTS
Follow UsAt the start of day-2, India were hoping that their openers would continue their good run at Trent Bridge and they got what they wished. KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma yet again started cautiously and then stepped on the accelerator. In the first hour of the first session, India had scored at a run rate of 1.8. Then, in the second hour, they scored at 4.1 runs per over.
Just when everything was going smoothly, Rohit’s eagerness to hook the ball saw his demise at the stroke of lunch. The mega effort by the opening partnership went in vain as their number three, four and five batsmen failed to make an impact. From a position of comfort to anguish, India have lost four wickets for 15 runs. Rahul at one end and rain on other has halted England’s progress. There were few notable stats from day-2, here is look at those:
A solid start
India’s biggest problems in Tests outside Asia has been their opening batting. But, in the first Test match under difficult conditions, India’s opening partnership provided a serene start. They took their time before accelerating. The Indian openers racked up 97 runs and batted for over 200 balls. This was the first time in 14 years that their openers batted as many balls outside Asia. The last time Indian openers batted 200+ balls without being separated was in 2007 at the same venue.
Three innings and three 50+ opening PS
There might be problems for the Indian opening pair in England, but not when they are playing at Trent Bridge. In Tests since 2000, Indian openers average over 45 in 11 innings. In the last three innings at the venue, Indian openers have managed to post a 50+ partnership in all three. This is the third venue in England where India have managed to score three successive 50+ opening partnerships.
A golden duck to start the series
The year 2021 can’t get any worse for Virat Kohli. The First innings after conquering England in 2018, Kohli suffered a first ball duck in 2021. This was the fifth instance of Kohli suffering a first ball duck in Tests. Among Indian top order (1-7) batsmen, only Virender Sehwag has more than him. The two little masters of India, Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar accompany him with five golden ducks. To add to his misery, Kohli has had four ducks on English soil and three of them have been golden ducks.
Most ducks for an Indian skipper
Apart from this being Kohli’s fifth golden duck, this was his 13th duck in Tests and ninth as a captain. For a skipper who has the most hundreds among Indians, he also holds the most unwanted record. Among Indian skippers, it is the most ducks. That’s not all, this is the first time Kohli has suffered more than two ducks in a calendar year in Tests. Unfortunately, all those three ducks have been against England.
Anderson – 1 and Kohli – 0
The tiff between James Anderson and Kohli can be deemed as one of the feistiest battles of this century. In the 2014 tour of England, Anderson was all over Kohli as he bagged him four times in eight innings at an average of 4.8. However, Kohli bounced back strongly in the 2018 tour when he scored over 100 runs in the same number of innings without being dismissed. In the 2021 series, Anderson has reopened the wounds by bagging him in the first ball. Anderson is at advantage after the first bout.
