4, 6, 4 – 15 runs off three deliveries before stumps from Axar Patel off debutant Tom Hartley, pretty much sums up the Day 2 of the first Test between India and England in Hyderabad on Thursday.
Having started the day trailing by 127 runs, India asserted their dominance as KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja hit brisk half-centuries to help the hosts to a 175-run lead with three wickets in hand in the first innings.
The day started on a hopeful note for England as part-timer Joe Root removed the dangerous Yashashvi Jaiswal for 80 just after being hit for a boundary in the very first over of the day. It was a nothing shot from the southpaw, who wanted to continue his ultra-aggressive approach from the previous day, but ended up handing a return catch to the bowler.
Buoyed by the important wicket, England kept things tight in the first hour. They were rewarded for the second time as a tentative Shubman Gill fell prey to Hartely with India still trailing by 87 runs.
However, Shreyas Iyer joined hands with Rahul to ensure that India did not lose the way in the first session.
The duo added 64 runs for the fourth wicket with Rahul, who brought up his half-century in the first session, being the more aggressive of the two.
Though Iyer (35) fell soon after the lunch break, looking to go over the deep-midwicket boundary off the young Rehan Ahmed, Rahul found an able ally in Jadeja.
The left-right combination added a quick fire 65 off just 74 deliveries, before Rahul fell short of a well-deserved century, as he was caught at deep-midwicket off Hartely.
Jadeja, though, continued his merry ways and brought up his 20th Test half-century off 84 deliveries. He added 68 runs with a watchful Srikar Bharat, who scored 41 of those.
The wicketkeeper though was trapped leg before wicket by Root, before Ravichandran Ashwin had to walk back after being run due to a miscommunication in the middle with Jadeja.
The 35-year-old Jadeja then added an unbeaten 63 off 117 deliveries with Patel (35*) as India ended the day with a 175-run lead.
