[Watch] James Anderson bowls left-arm spin at the nets during IND-ENG first Test
England pacer James Anderson was seen bowling left-arm spin at the nets after missing out on the ongoing first Test against India in Hyderabad.
Anderson was all smiles when the video of him bowling spin was displayed on the big screen as the action unfolded on the final session of Day 2. Anderson was next to specialist left-arm spinner Jack Leach as he tried to master the same in the nets.
It had even the on-air commentators in amazement, with Ravi Shastri saying:
"It’s coming out nicely. Very nicely. Well done, Jimmy."
Here is the video of Anderson trying his hand at left-arm spin:
With England playing three specialist spinners and only the lone pacer in Mark Wood, Anderson's exclusion from the playing XI for the first Test has been among the massive talking points.
The veteran pacer is the third leading wicket-taker in Test cricket history, with 690 scalps in 183 games.
Anderson also boasts an impressive record in India, with 34 wickets in 13 Tests at an average of under 30. He was part of the 2012/13 England side that remains the last team to win a Test series in India.
Team India in complete control of the opening Test against England
Unfortunately for England, the smiles have deserted them on the field thus far, with India taking control of the opening Test on Day 2.
Winning what appeared to be a crucial toss, the visitors lost wickets at regular intervals to be bowled out for 246. Skipper Ben Stokes starred with 70, while others chipped in with handy contributions.
True to form, the Indian spin trio of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel picked up eight of the ten wickets, with Jasprit Bumrah bagging the other two.
In reply, India motored along thanks to a blistering 80 off 74 balls by Yashasvi Jaiswal. Despite several batters getting in and throwing their starts away, the side overtook the England score without much trouble.
KL Rahul top-scored with 86 while Ravindra Jadeja is batting on 81 with fellow left-arm spinner Axar Patel on 35 for company at stumps on Day 2. Despite four spinners picking up all the Indian wickets, there were too many loose balls on offer for the Indian batters to capitalize on.
India are well-placed at 421/7 with a substantial lead of 175 runs on a Hyderabad wicket expected to deteriorate further.