At lunch on day one, England reached 83\/2 in 25 overs, with Joe Root (24 not out) and Ollie Pope (12 not out) sharing an unbroken 39-run stand after Nitish Kumar Reddy took out openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley in quick succession.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI think both teams will be reasonably happy with how the session unfolded. India might feel they missed a chance to pick up one more wicket, especially after the two early dismissals. What was interesting was that the breakthrough didn\u2019t come from Bumrah, Akash Deep or Siraj \u2014 it was Nitish Kumar Reddy who stepped up and delivered not just one, but two crucial wickets.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cGoing forward, slip fielding will be key. The bounce and pace haven't been consistent \u2014 the ball isn\u2019t always carrying through cleanly to the keeper \u2014 so India will need to be sharp in the cordon. This is the kind of pitch where you can\u2019t just blast teams out; you need patience. If India can bowl England out for under 300, they\u2019ll consider it a job well done,\u201d said Kumble on JioHotstar.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
He also praised Reddy for making a surprise impact with the ball in first session. \u201cIt came down to his length and his high-arm action \u2014 that\u2019s what made the difference. On this surface, a bowler like Jofra Archer would be very dangerous, and Nitish showed shades of that.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cThe slope here helps take the ball away from the left-hander, and Ben Duckett unfortunately fell victim to that twice. As for the Crawley dismissal \u2014 that was a beauty. He got the length and line absolutely right, and it just moved enough off the pitch to find the edge.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Kumble further reflected on a returning Jasprit Bumrah\u2019s spell in the first session, and pointed out that he was unlucky to not be amongst the wicket-takers.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cHe was trying to counter the slope and perhaps trying a bit too hard to get that away movement going. He was getting the shape, especially against the left-handers, but the line wasn\u2019t quite there \u2014 it was too wide, giving the batters enough time to leave or adjust.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cWith Bumrah, there\u2019s always pressure because he\u2019s the spearhead. I\u2019m confident that when he returns post-lunch, he\u2019ll be more relaxed, bowl a bit fuller, and target the stumps more. He was unlucky this morning \u2014 England could easily have lost a couple of early wickets to both him and Akash Deep.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cHe was trying to counter the slope and perhaps trying a bit too hard to get that away movement going. He was getting the shape, especially against the left-handers, but the line wasn\u2019t quite there \u2014 it was too wide, giving the batters enough time to leave or adjust.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cBumrah will try to bring the ball back in and then use the fourth-stump line to draw Root into a false shot. India will need to use Bumrah in short bursts \u2014 three to four overs \u2014 maybe start the session with him, but make sure the field is set up right. I\u2019d still like to see a gully or a short point in place. Catching positions will be crucial.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n