Follow UsEngland won the toss and decided to bowl first on a bright, sunny morning on Day 1 of the first Test at Headingley in Leeds against India on June 20 (Friday).
It was a decision that could have gone both ways as the pitch did not have anything in it and only the first few hours looked like it would have something for the bowlers. But in the end, the English bowlers could not get anything, not even a single wicket in the first hour. Eventually, England could only take 3 wicket while conceding 359 runs.
Their bowling consultant, Tim Southee, was, however, hopeful, even at the end of Day 1, that the English bowlers would utilise the second new ball, which is just five overs old, to make early inroads into the Indian batting lineup on day two.
“We’ve still got a reasonably new ball. Hopefully, we can make early inroads tomorrow morning and get ourselves back into the game,” Southee said at the post-day press conference in Leeds.
Talking about and justifying the decision of opting to bowl first against the popular opinion that they should have batted first, Southee said that it was a well-thought-out plan.
“We thought there’d be a bit in it this morning. You try to make the best call based on the surface and conditions. Sometimes you get it right, sometimes you don’t,” said the former New Zealand pacer.
England have the belief that they can turn things around on Day 2. “There’s a lot of belief in this side. We’ve done amazing things before. It’s Day 1. There’s a long way to go,” Southee said.