England bowling coach Tim Southee has stood by the skipper Ben Stokes after he made the choice to bowl first after India dominated with a massive 359-3 on the first day of the first day of the Test match at Headingley. The choice of making the field raised some questions and so even the pitch and Indian reaction with bat in hand. Southee however, who is part of the coaching staff at England as a consultant during the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy explained that the decision was taken in line with a reading done on Thursday.
Tim Southee’s Statement
“I think with the colour of the wicket yesterday and a little bit of, I guess, moisture left in it. There was gonna be a little bit of probably this morning, so, yeah, I think that’s the thinking behind the decision,” Southee explained. “I think the Indian openers sort of negotiated that first hour relatively well. KL Rahul left well and, and Jaiswal played his hand as well throughout. So I think there was a little bit of assistance there, but for the rest of that it was a pretty good surface I guess is encouraging for our guys when we get an opportunity to bat as well.”
“Don’t think you think too much. You look at the surface and you make a decision on what you think is gonna give you the best chance. Not all the time you get it right,” Southee admitted. “But I think, you look at the weather around and I guess there’s a little bit of moisture left in that wicket this morning. I think the first hour or so there’s gonna be potentially a little bit, but historically with this weather around it’s gonna be turned into a pretty, pretty good surface at some stage.”
Highlights Of The Day 1 Of The First Test
In opening-day play of the 1 st Test against England, India captain Shubman Gill scored an century as the visitors collapsed to a total of 359/3 at Leeds. Gill and deputy Rishabh Pant remained undefeated with 127 and 65 respectively. Yashasvi Jaiswal was sent off by Ben Stokes by the start of the first session. By lunch India was 92/ 2, with the pair of Gill and Jaiswal finding the backing of one another approaching their half-century.
In the first game, Jaiswal and KL Rahul had put on an opening stand of 91 runs at Headingley. England turned the game in their favor in the session ending the session well with two wickets in five balls. India debutant Sai Sudharsan got exposed getting bowled four balls into a good start.
Also Read: ENG Vs IND: ‘I Just Try To…’ Yashasvi Jaiswal Reflects On Historic Century In Leeds
