England v India First Test, Day Two Report Card

Featuring Rishabh Pant envy and petty weather

Rishabh Pant Envy
Grade: D

Stuck in a cruel, non-cricket watching environment for the first session, I could only experience India’s progression from their overnight score of 3/359 via the always mystical experience of sneaked glimpses at phone-based scorecards.

It left me with a bad case of Rishabh Pant Envy™, as everybody’s favourite mischievous cricketing imp went on a typically audacious tear, red cordial-ing his way to yet another century, which he celebrated with the kind of gymnastics manoeuvre he usually reserves for six-hitting.

But the innings, as it wound down, also left me with mad respect for KL Rahul, who, for some time, looked as if he’d stand alone as the sole India batter to make a double figures score. (The ‘KL’ stands for ‘Kwite Lonely’.) Fortunately, Ravindra Jadeja belatedly joined him, scraping his way out of single figures to eleven, as India lost 7/41 to finish on 471.

An impressive collapse. And, more importantly, a timely one. I was just about home by that point, which meant I’d have an opportunity to watch Jasprit Bumrah bowl before I fell asleep.

Thank you, Josh Tongue, for cleaning up the tail with your targeted bowling and your overly long legs (honestly, take a look some time - his feet must be underground as he runs in, surely!). And thank you, Team India, for allowing such a Tongue-cleaning.

Petty Weather
Grade: F