Unforced errors trip India up from position of strength, with dropped catches and overstepping in particular.
India trip up on unforced errors to give England a passage back in the game.
Early in the post-Tea period on the second day of the Headingley Test, a minor ceremony was regularly performed. Karun Nair would trot up and meet Jasprit Bumrah midway to take his cap and give it to the umpire each time he walked in from fine leg to his bowling mark at the beginning of an over.
The game was at a vulnerable moment, when superstitions may run amok. Under cloudy skies, England had motored off to 129 for 2, having withstood one Bumrah burst before tea. At the beginning of a session, India’s hopes of moving forward again depended on the spell cast by their talisman. And once more, he came close to delivering. Ollie Pope, on 60, was drawn into a false shot by the awkward angle Bumrah creates and the steer flew to gully, where Yashasvi Jaiswal put it down.
It was the 31st over’s final ball. Bumrah buried his face in the cap when the umpire handed it back to him, this time straight. Nobody approached him until Rishabh Pant made the decision to run the lengthy route Nair had travelled all evening in order to give him a comforting embrace.
India’s day was summed perfectly in that passage. No one answered the door when the knocks arrived. Additionally, they left the door open when they ought to have closed it, allowing England to peer through and consider other options.
India controlled the game at 430 for 3. They had the right to rule. Then the well-known collapse occurred: 7 for 41, bowled out for 471, the lowest total with three separate hundreds.
It ought to have been a declaration. Rather, it served as a reminder about the consequences of leaving a game unfinished when facing a side like England. India has also visited this place previously. They had the opportunity to eliminate England from the match at Edgbaston in 2022, Hyderabad, and Vizag in 2024. They didn’t. They have had to fight their way back at home. Nevertheless, the margins may be narrower and the penalties more severe given their present lack of a defensive edge to support Bumrah.
Under Stokes and McCullum, England is prepared to respond. On flat tracks, they chase, scrape, and don’t mind the scoreboard. Shutting them out early and applying pressure before they get their rhythm is the best way to stay ahead. In the first Test of the series, India had a unique opportunity to do so. They’ll be hoping they didn’t miss it.
England batted as usual around Bumrah: quickly, bluntly, and with the intention of advancing the game. Pope concluded with an undefeated 100, while Duckett scored a half-century. Additionally, Shubman Gill learnt his first lesson as an on-field Test captain: the Bumrah well will not provide him with limitless refills.
Gill has mentioned wanting to take advantage of significant events. On this day, India made too many unforced mistakes in the field, with the bat, and with the ball. Bumrah was called for another burst before stumps, almost cruelly. For the ninth time in Test cricket, he got Joe Root. In the day’s last over, he almost had Harry Brook as well, startling him with a precise short ball. However, the umpire tapped his earpiece and announced the result just as India was about to celebrate. Not a ball. Bumrah had gone too far.
India could have vanished from view, but they were still ahead. That was the type of day.