Courtesy to a near-perfect bowling effort, the opening day of the Trent Bridge Test was dominated by the Indians. Going against their traditional combination, they picked four seamers on a greenish surface. The tactic yielded immediate results, as England were bowled out for a mere 183 in their first innings.
Jasprit Bumrah (4-46) and Mohammed Shami (3-28) shared the honours of the day. Shardul Thakur (2-41) and Mohammed Siraj (1-18) bowled beautifully as well, providing necessary support. In fact, Thakur took the important wicket of Joe Root (64), the only man who provided some resistance for England.
Day 2: What to expect
We experienced a nice sunny day to start this Test match. However, things will be not as bright as the game progresses. As per BBC Weather, Thursday will feature light rain with moderate breeze in the second half of the day. The sky will be mostly cloudy, and the heavy weather will assist England’s all seam attack.
Only 2-3 percent chance of rain is predicted in the morning session, but that will rise to over 40 after lunch, and 63-70 for the third session.
With India still trailing by 162, Virat Kohli & co. need to be careful here. Things can change drastically in these conditions. Day 1 saw an example of this. England, 138/3 at one point, slumped 183 as clouds covered the Nottingham sky in the third session.
To keep the English seamers at bay, the Indian batters should keep the complacency factor out of their camp, if there is any. A lot will depend on how they start the day. If Rohit Sharma and K.L. Rahul survive the initial hour, it will be easier for the Indian batting to tackle the difficult phase in the later half. However, with a few early wickets, there may be panic in the dressing room and it can trigger a collapse.
Ideally, India should aim to take a lead of around 200 in the first innings. That should, in all likelihood, be enough for them to seal the game. But in order to get there, their batters needs to grind it out today.
Betway Fantasy Tips For The Day
– Back the English seamers to do well considering the predicted overcast conditions. Especially, watch out for Ollie Robinson. In the Test match against New Zealand earlier this summer, he looked quite a handy option with the older Dukes ball. Also, with his height and high-arm action, England expect Robinson to do what Kyle Jamieson did to India.
– For India, back Ajinkya Rahane to grind it out under these conditions. He is under pressure to score some runs and in situations like these we see best of Rahane as a batsman.
– India will eventually take lead in the first innings, but not before the Tea. The scoring rate throughout the day is expected to be on the lower side.