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England in driver’s seat in 2nd Test

There was no joy for India as the momentum in the ongoing second test has shifted squarely in favour of the hosts. Jonny Bairstow and Chris Woakes put on a solid partnership in the second session to hand England total control of the second Test at Lord’s. India might have fancied its chances having taken four wickets in the first session, but Bairstow and Woakes were determined and the 141 runs that were put on for the loss of just one wicket in that follow-up have almost ensured that, barring a miracle, this test is now locked down by England.

England started off with the right mindset in the second session, smacking the ball to all corner and scoring boundaries at the top. Jos Buttler helped the hosts added 42 runs off the first 39 balls and was just not allowing the bowlers to settle in by shuffling back and forth to their lengths delivered. It worked well but didn’t work for too long and eventually he found himself trapped leg before to a full delivery bowled by Mohammed Shami. At this time, England’s lead was just 24 run and India would have been hoping to wrap up the rest of the English side for less than 50 and give themselves a slender chance to make a go of winning this test.

However, Bairstow and Woakes stood strong through testing spells by Shami and Ishant Sharma as well and saw both bowlers off. India even wasted a review in the hopes to trying to get that much need breakthrough. Virat Kohli introduced spin at both ends when the seamers started to tire with Ravichandran Ashwin into the attack at the one end and eventually Kuldeep Yadav at the other. Bairstow managed to score a few boundaries off the spinners on his way to a fifty and Woakes too managed to get a feel for the pitch and bowlers to knock the ball around the park piling on the misey of a massive target for the Indians in their final innings.

When the scoreboard showed the lead extended to 100, Kohli brought back Ishant in the half hour left before tea. Unfortunately for him, this tactic too didn’t help India’s cause. Woakes’s fifty may have come through a fortuitous inside edge but the crisp cover drive that followed didn’t leave any doubt as to who had dominated that session of play.With just about two days remaining, England are well and truly in the driver’s seat in the second test and perhaps only rain can now save India.

Summary: England 230/5 (Jonny Bairstow 62*, Chris Woakes 55*; Mohammed Shami 3-67) lead India 107 by 123 runs

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