IND vs ENG 2021: 3 talking points from Day 1 as astonishing Indian collapse puts England way ahead in the 3rd Test
The highs of Lord's have quickly been replaced by the lows of Headingley for India. After captain Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to bat, the visitors collapsed to 78 all-out as the England bowlers turned in a spectacular display of accuracy and penetration.
By the end of Day 1 of the 3rd Test, England amassed a 42-run lead without losing a wicket in their first innings, all but assuring themselves of a win in the Test match. India need a miracle to salvage something from this encounter.
Here are three major talking points from Day 1 of the 3rd Test between India and England.
#3 India's pace quartet fails to deliver
After being skittled for 78, India needed something special from their famed pace quartet to worm their way back into the game. But apart from one shelled chance in the slips, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj and Ishant Sharma offered little wicket-taking threat.
Ishant in particular was all over the place at Headingley as he dished out loose deliveries right from the start of his spell. While Bumrah was economical with the new ball, he couldn't test the English batsmen often enough to provide breakthroughs. Shami and Siraj bowled decently, if unspectacularly, but opportunities were hard to come by.
Both Haseeb Hameed and Rory Burns batted with a great degree of control, speaking of which....
#2 England finally put on a sizeable opening partnership
After axing Dom Sibley, England entered the 3rd Test with a new-look opening pair - Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed. That wasn't particularly out of the ordinary for the Three Lions, who have shuffled their opening combination more times than they would care to admit over the last few years.
But England finally got off to a good start to take some pressure off the returning Dawid Malan and captain Joe Root, who are slated to bat at No. 3 and No. 4 respectively.
Hameed and Burns weathered the early storm with watchfulness and a keen intent to put away the loose balls before settling into an excellent rhythm. The duo were never really troubled throughout their 120-run partnership in what was an extremely encouraging sign for England cricket.
#1 Were India a touch overconfident heading into the 3rd Test?
India's batting performance on Day 1 begs the question: Were they a touch complacent heading into the 3rd Test? They can be excused for being so, because they almost bullied England into submission at Lord's. But Test cricket is a fickle game, and the tables were completely turned on Virat Kohli's men, who were without answers in Leeds.
KL Rahul and Virat Kohli were guilty of playing extremely loose shots outside the off stump, as was Rishabh Pant later in the day's play. Rohit Sharma handed a simple catch to mid-on off an innocuous short ball, while Ajinkya Rahane and Ravindra Jadeja were dismissed at key stages of the innings. The tail didn't wag either, resulting in a miserable batting display.
India's shot selection left a lot to be desired on Day 1 of the 3rd Test against England, and overconfidence might've been the reason.