IND vs ENG 2021: 3 mistakes England made on Day 1 of the 2nd Test against India
Just one day into the second Test against India, England are already staring down the barrel at Lord's. The hosts had the fortune of the coin flip, but threw away the advantage in stunning fashion as India finished the opening day's play on 276/3.
The rain stayed away to allow 90 overs to be bowled at the Home of Cricket, and this time England had nowhere to hide. Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul put together 126 runs for the first wicket before Virat Kohli joined in on the fun later in the innings.
Here are three mistakes England made on Day 1 of the second Test against India.
#3 England won the toss and elected to bowl
Did Joe Root make a grave error by electing to bowl first after winning the toss for the second Test? Hindsight is a beautiful thing, but it must be said that the England captain could've been more aware of the conditions at Lord's.
Not only was the wicket the driest it has been for quite a while, but the weather forecast also indicated bright sunshine for major parts of the day. To be fair to Root, India captain Virat Kohli said he would've elected to field as well. But by the end of Day 1, it was clear conditions were as easy to bat as they'd get on the tour.
Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli made the most of their unexpected gift. Some swing was on offer and the England bowlers beat the bat a few times, but the Indian batsmen made things look extremely easy on Day 1. The first session was tricky to negotiate and there was minor movement on offer throughout the day, but surely England would love the chance to do the toss all over again.
#2 England didn't get their bowling order right
Although James Anderson was adjudged fit to play the second Test, England were without his usual new-ball partner Stuart Broad, who has been ruled out of the summer with a calf strain. In Broad's absence, the hosts should've arguably handed the new ball to Sam Curran, whose skills are best utilized when there's significant swing on offer.
Instead, England handed the ball to Ollie Robinson. It wasn't an entirely bad decision as Robinson was exceptional in the first Test and has caused problems for the Indian batsmen with his height, but Curran was rendered completely ineffective after coming on as the first-change bowler.
The left-armer never found any rhythm, and although he beat the bat a few times with some smart usage of angles, he leaked boundaries. Curran couldn't get the ball to swing as much as Anderson and Robinson did early on, and he isn't really someone who can generate seam movement.
England could've been much smarter with the way they used the bowling resources at their disposal on Day 1 of the second Test against India.
#1 England were wayward and passive for most of Day 1
Anderson was the sole standout on Day 1 for England as he dismissed Cheteshwar Pujara with a teasing outswinger and castled Rohit Sharma with a smart change-up. Apart from the veteran pacer, the hosts' bowlers were far from impressive with their planning and execution.
Often drifting onto the leg side to relieve pressure and overcompensating by bowling looseners outside off, the English pacers allowed KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma to break away despite a slow start. Runs weren't difficult to come by in sustained periods as the Indian batsmen played out tricky spells and capitalized whenever they could.
Mark Wood bowled fast, as he always does. And despite some promise in his first few overs and a few false shots, the express quick couldn't make an impact. Robinson too was close to a wicket or two in the first two sessions and returned to scalp the key wicket of Kohli, but he wasn't at his consistent best.
England's bowlers needed to be more accurate and their captain needed to be more proactive on Day 1 of the second Test against India.