Root and Anderson dig in… create history

July 13, 2014 12:26 am | Updated April 22, 2016 12:54 am IST - Nottingham:

England's Joe Root applauds James Anderson, right, as he celebrates after reaching half century, during day four of the first Test cricket match between England and India at Trent Bridge cricket ground, Nottingham, England, Saturday, July 12, 2014. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)

England's Joe Root applauds James Anderson, right, as he celebrates after reaching half century, during day four of the first Test cricket match between England and India at Trent Bridge cricket ground, Nottingham, England, Saturday, July 12, 2014. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)

Last-wicket pairs are supposed to split quickly in a variety of ways — a comical shot, cart-wheeling stumps or the tame edge. The first Test here at Trent Bridge bucked those odds with a vengeance. If for India, it was Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammad Shami, who added 111 and embarrassed England, the host found its saviours in centurion Joe Root and James Anderson on the fourth day.

England paid back in kind through a world record 198-run 10th-wicket partnership spanning 325 deliveries between Root (154 n.o., 295b, 15x4) and Anderson (81). The previous record — 163 between Australia’s Ashton Agar and Phil Hughes, incidentally at the same venue, last year — was erased and England gained a slender 39-run lead.

Alastair Cook’s men finished their first innings at 496, past India’s 457, while Shikhar Dhawan held onto Anderson’s edge off Bhuvneshwar, who gained his first five-for in Tests. At close, India wiped out the deficit and scored 167 for three in its second innings.

Rapid dismissals Ahead by 128, M.S. Dhoni’s men still have to bat through the final day’s morning session as the rapid dismissals of Murali Vijay (52) and Cheteshwar Pujara (55), off successive deliveries, were setbacks that could have been avoided. The two after sharing 91 runs for the second-wicket, slackened when less than 10 overs remained for curtains to be drawn on the penultimate day.

Vijay charged at Moeen Ali and edged, while Pujara cut Liam Plunkett to a juggling Ben Stokes. Until those stumbles, Vijay, who on zero found his snick off Anderson elude Matt Prior, extended his first innings exploits. He found a kindred soul in Pujara after Dhawan’s cameo suffered a tame end against Ali’s low full-toss.

The pitch remained placid and its worst indictment came when Prior briefly stood up to Anderson and Stuart Broad. India moved steadily, with a few flourishes being Vijay’s six off Ali and Pujara’s lightning cut against Plunkett. Now, Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane have to anchor India to safety as another stringent scrutiny awaits a young batting order.

Earlier, on a bright Saturday morning, resuming at the overnight 352 for nine, England had a long road to cover. The task proved attainable as Root, patient and an absolute adhesive in stitching partnerships, notched up his fourth Test century and in Anderson, found an ally, who exasperated the Indians.

All that Dhoni’s men could see were Root’s broad bat and Anderson’s fantasy centred around his maiden Test 50! Anderson repeatedly whipped Bhuvneshwar and it was the visitors’ turn to accept a grim foreboding when the 10th-wicket duo went past England’s previous best of 70 by Bob Willis and Paul Allott against India at Lord’s in 1982.

‘Off-with-your-head’ England deserved credit for its fight, but Dhoni wasn’t entirely innocent. He and his medium-pacers got blinkered to the idea of bouncing out Anderson with the fielders forming an umbrella cordon. The ‘off-with-your-head’ philosophy just didn’t work.

Anderson, in a perverse way, extended India’s gambit as he fended one to gully on 45, but a diving Vijay couldn’t hold on. It became a farce as Dhoni refused to dump the strategy and Anderson even played the pull to get to his 50. Yes, Anderson had been a bunny to the one climbing into his face, but on a day when it just didn’t work, India had to switch to Plan B.

At the other end, Root had already written home his century. Two drives — cover and square — off Shami, helping him reach his milestone and reiterate his credentials. Dhoni finally gave up the short-pitched method and utilised spin —Ravindra Jadeja and, briefly, Vijay’s off-spin. Even that didn’t work, nor did Stuart Binny’s belated overs before lunch.

The lead was England’s and at lunch, the weary Indians gaped at the host’s 485 for nine. The psychological brownie points were in England’s pocket.

Scoreboard

India — 1st innings: 457 in 161 overs.

England — 1st innings : Alastair Cook b Shami 5 (10b, 1x4), Sam Robson lbw b Ishant 59 (142b, 8x4), Gary Ballance lbw b Ishant 71 (167b, 9x4), Ian Bell c Dhoni b Ishant 25 (37b, 6x4), Joe Root (not out) 154 (295b, 15x4), Moeen Ali c Dhawan b Shami 14 (30b, 3x4), Matt Prior c Dhoni b Bhuvneshwar 5 (6b, 1x4), Ben Stokes c Dhoni b Bhuvneshwar 0 (2b), Stuart Broad lbw b Bhuvneshwar 47 (42b, 9x4), Liam Plunkett b Bhuvneshwar 7 (21b, 1x4), James Anderson c Dhawan b Bhuvneshwar 81 (130b, 17x4); Extras (b-6, lb-5, nb-13, w-4): 28; Total (in 144.5 overs): 496.

Fall of wickets : 1-9 (Cook), 2-134 (Robson), 3-154 (Ballance), 4-172 (Bell), 5-197 (Ali), 6-202 (Prior), 7-202 (Stokes), 8-280 (Broad), 9-298 (Plunkett).

India bowling : Bhuvneshwar Kumar 30.5-8-82-5, Mohammed Shami 29-3-128-2, Ishant Sharma 38-3-150-3, Ravindra Jadeja 35-5-80-0, Stuart Binny 10-0-37-0, Murali Vijay 2-0-8-0.

India — 2nd innings : Murali Vijay c Prior b Ali 52 (119b, 7x4, 1x6), Shikhar Dhawan c & b Ali 29 (29b, 6x4), Cheteshwar Pujara c Stokes b Plunkett 55 (101b, 7x4), Virat Kohli (batting) 8 (21b, 1x4), Ajinkya Rahane (batting) 18 (21b, 4x4); Extras (lb-2, nb-3): 5; Total (for three wkts., in 48 overs): 167.

Fall of wickets : 1-49 (Dhawan), 2-140 (Vijay), 3-140 (Pujara).

England bowling : James Anderson 9-4-21-0, Stuart Broad 11-3-35-0, Liam Plunkett 12-1-42-1, Moeen Ali 7-0-39-2, Ben Stokes 9-2-28-0.

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