Hwo images stood out when Ben Stokes dismissed Rohit Sharma off his first ball in Test cricket in nearly nine months on Friday. Mark Wood holding his head in disbelief at mid-off and head coach Brendon McCullum unable to hide the wry smile on his face.
The India captain had completed his century and was ready to torment the attack when Stokes got one to jag in through Rohit’s defence. The wicket had offered no assistance to James Anderson and Mark Wood forcing Stokes to try himself out, much ahead of his scheduled return to bowling since the knee surgery.
Was the pitch offering assistance to the bowlers? Kuldeep Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah’s 45-run unbroken association in the closing stages further demonstrated the fact that there was nothing to fear about the wicket. Both the tailenders were in no hurry against a tired England attack and almost confirmed that they don’t have to bat a second time in this Test.
The talking point at stumps was whether Saturday would turn out to be the final day of the series.