On a slow-burn of an opening day in Birmingham, Shoaib Bashir’s dismissal of Rishabh Pant perhaps offered a sign that the young spinner is improving, as well as a glimpse into England’s Ashes future this winter.
Pant bit and moments later was walking back to the away dressing room having been caught on the boundary by Zak Crawley.
India, asked to bat first in this second Test by England captain Ben Stokes on a belter of a pitch, were 208 for four.
Ben Stokes wins the toss and England will bowl first at Edgbaston
NO Jasprit Bumrah for India pic.twitter.com/Eey63C7OlX
Woakes, bowling imperiously on his home ground, was excellent all day and deserved far more than two wickets.
Spinners taking wickets after batters are caught on the boundary attempting to take them on is nothing new.
Cheteshwar Pujara, the former India batter speaking on BBC Test Match Special, noted: “There was a field placed for Rishabh Pant because England know he’ll go for it when the ball goes above his eye line. Pant saw that but he didn’t time it well.
Captain Shubman Gill’s unbeaten century helped India to 310-5 at the end of day one (Photo: Getty)Ravi Shastri was also full of praise for Bashir’s work during a lengthy spell that saw him contain India.
This felt like a bit of a breakthrough for the 21-year-old who so often during his fledgling Test career has simply been unable to execute a holding role.
Here, on a day when India had the conditions and the opportunity to take Bashir down, the economy rate for his 19 overs was 3.42.
"You CANNOT FAULT the efforts of that bowling attack!"
Nasser Hussain praises the England attack pic.twitter.com/wB67PkceU0
It is this kind of experience against an elite batting line-up that will stand Bashir in good stead for this winter’s Ashes, when the Australians will inevitably try and hit him out of the attack from ball one.
Bashir’s age, relative inexperience – this is his 18th Test – and first-class average of more than 48 will all be reasons why the Aussies are likely to show him little respect.
Stokes’ inspirational captaincy has been the key to bringing the very best out of Bashir, a bowler many still believe isn’t good enough for this level.
Pant holes out to Zak Crawley at long-on!
"Cheerio, cheerio, cheerio" shouts The Hollies
2⃣0⃣8⃣-4⃣ pic.twitter.com/qM8ZoX8ZwI
Another piece of that jigsaw slotted into place on the first day here at Edgbaston.
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