India face lower order blues once again as hosts recover from 86-6 to 246 thanks to Curran's 78
England's Sam Curran celebrates his half-century as India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant looks on during Day One of the fourth Test at Southampton yesterday. Pic/AFP
"Rubbish". That is how former England opener turned BBC commentator Geoff Boycott described the England top-order after the Indian seamers sliced through the hosts's batting line-up to leave them reeling at 86-6. England eventually finished with 246 thanks to a rearguard action from Sam Curran (78). At stumps, India were 19-0 on Day One.
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But it was the manner in which that the England batsmen were exposed that left Boycott fuming. After electing to bat on a surface with a tinge of grass and good carry, Jasprit Bumrah and Ishant Sharma were relentless with the new ball. Bumrah had shaped everything away from Keaton Jennings before he changed his wrist position subtly at release, making the ball zip back off the seam. Jennings, already under pressure to hold on to his spot, shouldered arms and was trapped plumb in front.
Bumrah nearly had Joe Root in the next over, but the seamer overstepped the line and the review was upheld. Luckily for India, Ishant had Root leg before to leave England at 15-2.
Jonny Bairstow, promoted to No. 4, hit a glorious cover drive to get going, but Bumrah had the better of the Englishman by getting the ball to straighten on the line of off-stump and find the edge. Alastair Cook dug in and it seemed like his fortunes were changing. However, on 17, he guided a short ball from Hardik Pandya straight to third slip as England scrambled to lunch at 57-4.
For a brief period after the interval, it looked like Buttler and Stokes could repeat their heroics from the second innings at Trent Bridge. But Mohammed Shami kept tempting Buttler with a series of outswingers, a plan that worked successfully as Buttler edged a wide ball straight to Kohli in the slips.
Stokes was resolute for his 79-ball 23 before Shami beat his forward prod to a ball angling towards his stumps from around the wicket. At 86-6, England needed a substantial partnership and they got it in form of Moeen Ali (40) and Curran. Both left-handers stroked the ball with fluency as for the first time in the day the Indian seamers didn't make the batsmen play enough.
Moeen smashed Ravichandran Ashwin over long-on for a six to take the partnership past 60, but he soon perished attempting a slog. Curran, however, carried on with scoring a gritty innings as England's last four wickets added 79 runs to fight back brilliantly on the opening day.
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