Jasprit Bumrah’s brilliance leaves England in trouble in fifth Test vs India

But as you looked out the Tardis window and watched the ball fly to all corners during England’s ragged morning session, then witnessed the collapse of their batting – albeit in installations, as dictated by delays for rain – only the Birmingham skyline in the distance reminding you that this was not Lord’s in August 2021.

Here, as then, England had their tactics badly wrong against an Indian tail wagging to a total of 416 in the first innings, having gone down to 98 for five at one point yesterday before Rishabh Pant’s stunning counter-attack led the tourists to the ascendancy dragged on.

In response, England never got going, never really had a chance, as the showers came and went and batters did the same. The first 27 overs of their answer were split into four mini-sessions, a wicket of the highest order fell in each of them, the first three for the brilliant Jasper Bumrah and then, most damagingly, that of Joe Root against Mohammed Siraj in the final. half hour of the day when the hosts hit stumps 84 for five, still 332 behind.

Ravi Jadeja, who shared a sixth wicket partnership of 222 with Pant on Friday, started the day by hitting three figures with him during a frenzied first hour in which Stuart Broad threw the costliest in Test history and took his 550th wicket, While James Anderson quietly scored the 32nd five-for of his Test career, weeks before his 40th birthday.

In the second Test of this series, at Lord’s 11 months ago, England had India eight defeats and just 182 runs ahead on the final morning, only to resort to a short barrage that the technique of Bumrah and Mohammed Shami failed to do. tested, two tailenders without. The Indian No9 and No10, who were on average sick and tired, shared an unbroken partnership of 89 before Virat Kohli was, remarkably enough, able to declare victory and put down as the home side was sucked into an ill-tempered retaliation mission after Bumrah’s bumper attack. at Anderson the day before.

Here they didn’t even have that excuse, but they spread the field and made few attempts to fire Jadeja – who pulled himself out of the bowl while trying to hoist Anderson – and again they had little joy bouncing messers Shami and Bumrah.

The first added 16 to set the tone, while Bumrah then got a Broad over that summed it all up, taking 35 runs including five walks, a no-ball hit for six, five extra limits on the bat and a near run -out . Besides their two centurions, India’s next top scorer had been extras, with 40.

Bumrah spent the first day of his captaincy – the first of an Indian fast bowler in the role – with his feet up, but made the second his own by bowling Alex Lees for six hours with the last ball before an early lunch, and then had Zak Crawley caught, predictably, on slip with his first delivery after. Root nearly survived Bumrah’s hat-trick, which whistled around the rim, but Ollie Pope later became his third victim.

Crawley’s failure outside the stump was well known and by far the most troublesome. On the eve of this test, Ben Stokes said the opener would remain in England’s plans “regardless” his performance here, but just a second innings score will prevent that belief being widely tested. England’s next test, against South Africa, is over six weeks away, time may be for Crawley to find form but that’s not really how he got here, his first quick job in the side and halfway through the Ashes based on potential, talent and style, not the weight of county runs.

His departure for nine marked a 20th single-digit Test score since that 267 against Pakistan nearly two years ago, the 24-year-old averaging just 18 in the same period. A replacement is certainly needed at short notice, if only England can find one.

The worst showers of the day brought with them the longest delays, 30 minutes of which probably could have been avoided. With an hour to bat and the sun finally out, it wasn’t quite the proverbial tricky evening session, but as Bumrah and Shami gauged, still fresh after all the interruptions, England would have done well to survive.

When Root was caught trying to cut a ball too close to him the New Englanders may have taken their first step backwards, Stokes sent Leach in as a night watchman with instructions to block and wasted time through the 25 minutes left in the day . Even that didn’t quite get off the ground, the spinner moved on to Pant to give Shami a well-deserved wicket.