England's rescue man Stuart Broad says most of the first day belonged to India
England's rescue man Stuart Broad says most of the first day belonged to India |
| Clayton Murzello
in England |
Just when England seemed to have totally smeared the sheen of their first Test win over India, Stuart Broad came out and showed that his blade can tackle any demons.
His smart, in-the-face, left-handed strokeplay denied India of absolute first day honours of the second Test here in Trent Bridge. His 64 off 66 balls (9x4) should come as no surprise though. He rekindled memories of his 169 against Pakistan at Lord's last August.
Many from his home crowd here were delighted with how he batted. Correction: How he entertained! However, several felt that the Indian bowlers bowled short to him which provided him much room to swing his arms.
"Three-fourth of the day belonged to India," admitted Broad. About the way he went about batting, he said: "The ball had become soft by then so it was easier for me to attack. It (attack) would not have paid off for the top order against the new ball."
England's Stuart Broad hits one to the boundary during the second
Test against India at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, yesterday.
England lead the four-match series 1-0. Pic/Getty ImagesAndrew Strauss always said that he expected India to come back strongly against them after the debacle in London. But did he expect a Zaheer Khan-less Indian bowling attack to reduce his side to 117 for seven? Probably not. Broad did not allow the precarious situation to unsettle him. Sure, the Indian bowlers should have kept open the pressure tap through their length. Doubtless, they should not have shown signs of tiring. But to bring up these factors too much would be disrespectful to the way 25-year-old Broad played.
Graeme Swann, who was also playing on his home ground, got stuck in and built a fine partnership of 73 with Broad. He walked off after his dismissal (c Mukund b Praveen Kumar 28) wringing his hand in pain, but England need not worry for it is was his left-arm.
Worry for StraussStrauss would be a worried captain considering how his batsmen fared against the seam and swing of S Sreesanth (3-77), Ishant Sharma (3-66) and of course the spearhead Praveen Kumar (3-45). Convention could have told skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni to bat on winning the toss. But he backed his bowlers and for that he deserves more than a scoop of credit.
"I just kept things simple today. I would like to carry this wicket everywhere I go," said Sreesanth. Though Abhinav Mukund perished first ball, driving to Kevin Pietersen off James Anderson, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman were imperious when it came to warding off England's impressive pace pack. They showed what experience brings to the table. And Dravid deserves special honours for the number of times he has had to fill in as opener. Indian fans will expect some splendid Saturday sunshine to brighten up their day and scoreboard.
Brief scoreEngland: 221. Stuart Broad 64, Andrew Strauss 32, Ian Bell 31, Kevin Pietersen 29; Praveen Kumar 3-45, Ishant Sharma 3-66, S Sreesanth 3-77
India: 24-1 VVS Laxman 13 n o, Rahul Dravid 7 n o; Anderson 1-10
