India in control at Trent Bridge

Praveen Kumar
12 April 2012

England hit big trouble against India's seamers to descend to a teatime 124 for eight on day one of the second npower Test at Trent Bridge.

Praveen Kumar, previously wicketless after England had been put in under heavy cloud cover, took two wickets in three deliveries in mid-afternoon to end Andrew Strauss' 98-ball vigil and see off Eoin Morgan for a duck.

England then lost Matt Prior cheaply too to lurch to 88 for six - and after Ishant Sharma (three for 38) repeated the Kumar dose with two more wickets in seven balls, the hosts remained in disarray.

Strauss had helped the hosts make it to lunch for the loss of only two wickets as this venue, renowned for aiding swing, lived up to its reputation, and after the early losses of Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott, he and Kevin Pietersen dug in for a half-century stand either side of lunch. But England needed more than that as they seek to consolidate their first-Test victory at Lord's over the world's number one team.

Cook survived his first marginal lbw call on one, but the England opener did not get the luck one run later when Ishant Sharma found enough movement off the pitch to beat the forward defence, and Marais Erasmus raised the finger. Simulated replays suggested the ball would have cleared middle-stump.

Strauss contributed England's first boundary, from the 50th ball of the morning after almost 40 minutes, when Kumar strayed on to his pads as he briefly tried a change of angle from round the wicket. Trott's only scoring shot was a cut for four off Sharma, before he shaped to drive Shantha Sreesanth (three for 37) and edged some away swing straight into VVS Laxman's hands at second slip.

India therefore got an early look at Pietersen, England's hero of Lord's with a first-innings double-century. It was not long either before he found himself unwittingly involved in echoes of the ill temper which characterised the last Test match here between these two teams, four years ago.

It was Kumar, rather than 2007 culprit Sreesanth, who lost his cool with umpire Erasmus after he turned down an lbw appeal against Pietersen. He was convinced he had his man on 17, when Pietersen missed as he attacked across his pad, impact was a long way down the pitch.

Pietersen did not cash in, though, pushing habitually forward again and unable to ride a little extra bounce from Sreesanth - to go to a low catch at third slip in the first over after lunch. Nine overs later, Strauss fatally allowed his concentration to wane and edged a loose drive at Kumar high to third slip - where Suresh Raina took his second smart catch.

Morgan was then undone by a good delivery, which straightened off the angle to have him lbw on the front-foot defence. Much therefore depended on the next pair Bell and Prior - and sadly for England their wicketkeeper got another good one from Sreesanth, which he edged to first slip.

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