“India bowled brilliantly, picking up four wickets in the session”: Anil Kumble hails Indian seamer for brilliance with new ball

London: Former Indian skipper Anil Kumble, after the first session on Day 4 of the third Test, between India and England at the Home of Cricket Lord’, praised India’s intensity with the ball.

India took four wickets in the morning session, at Lunch, England are 98/4 with Ben Stokes 2* (13) and Joe Root 17* (40) unbeaten on the crease. Mohammed Siraj gave England two early blows, removing Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope with the new Ball.

Speaking on ‘Match Centre Live’, JioHotstar expert Anil Kumble said, “That’s what Test cricket is all about — knowing when to raise the intensity. Day 4, with scores level and the game effectively a one-innings shootout, India needed a strong start. India bowled brilliantly, picking up four wickets in the session. The surface has changed — there was uneven bounce, which both Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett had to deal with. They came in with positive intent, but on this kind of pitch, you might get away with it once or twice, not all the time.”

“Siraj bowled really well to back up Bumrah’s opening spell. That review for Ollie Pope’s dismissal worked, thanks to his height — Crawley had escaped in similar fashion earlier. Crawley’s dismissal was a bonus; it was a poor shot, trying to drive on the rise. India will be happy with that session.”

Kumble also lauded Mohammed Siraj’s consistent effort and aggressive mindset, “What Siraj does so well is put in the effort with every single ball. On a surface like this, you need to hit the deck hard and in the right areas — and he’s done that consistently. In the last Test, without Bumrah, he stepped up with a five-wicket haul, and Akash Deep supported with a ten-wicket match haul. This time, Siraj knew he needed to complement Bumrah, and he’s delivered. Even yesterday, in one over while Bumrah was bowling, it was Siraj who was the most fired up. He’s that kind of character — always in the batter’s face — and that seems to bring out the best in him. The only concern is making sure it doesn’t go overboard and affect his bowling. But so far, he’s been excellent — consistently hitting the right areas.”

Coming to the match, A complete bowling domination from Indian seamers restricted England to 98/4 at the end of the first session on Day 4 of the third Test at Lord’s on Sunday. England started Day 4 on 2/0 with Zak Crawley (2) and Ben Duckett (0*) unbeaten on the crease.

Opener KL Rahul’s ton and left-hand batter Ravindra Jadeja’s 72 helped India to level the score at 387 on Saturday at Lord’s, which was also set up by England in the first innings of the Test match.

England’s skipper Ben Stokes won the toss and elected to bat first. Batting first, the Three Lions scored 387 runs thanks to a century stand between Root (104) and Ollie Pope (44) and a counter-attacking 82-run stand between Brydon Carse and Jamie Smith, who both struck fifties down the order.