Whether India lives to regret the fact that it added just 112 runs to its day one total of 359 for three in the first Test against England at Headingley will eventually depend on Jasprit Bumrah’s golden arm, for the 31-year-old magician has this remarkable ability to inflate the value of every total his team makes.

And on Saturday, he tried his utmost to make India’s 471 to seem even bigger, and to erase the memory of his side losing the last seven wickets for just 41 runs. The pacer partly succeeded (13-2-48-3), but a lack of pressure from the other end and some bad catching ensured that by stumps, England had cut the deficit by 209 for the loss of three wickets. 

Bumrah sent Zak Crawley back in the very first over, with Karun Nair completing a fine catch at first slip. He dismissed a well-set Ben Duckett (62, 94b, 9×4) by forcing him to chop one on, excised Joe Root (28, 58b, 2×4) and even had Harry Brook caught in the last over only for it to be a no-ball.

But both Duckett and Pope were dropped off Bumrah, with the former by the usually safe Ravindra Jadeja at gully on 15 (team: 39 for one) and the latter by Yashasvi Jaiswal in the cordon on 60 (129 for two).

– N. Sudarshan 

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ENG vs IND, 1st Test: Pope hundred puts England on track at end of Day 2 after India lower-order collapse

Bumrah picked three wickets but a lack of pressure from the other end and some bad catching ensured that by stumps, England had cut the deficit by 209 for the loss of three wickets.