Rahul, Jaiswal help India reach 92/2 at lunch, England price out two late wickets

Leeds: Openers KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal helped India make a confident start to a long tour, but England struck back with late wickets as the visitors went to lunch at 92 for two on the first day of the opening Test of the five-match series here on Friday.

Rahul (42) and Jaiswal (42 not out) made the England attack look pedestrian until the former and debutant B Sai Sudharsan (0) got out in the final moments of the first session.

Stokes’ decision to bowl first might have stemmed from the transformed nature of Headingley track which has become a batter’s ally in the last decade, and that character was visible in the first session of the match itself.

There was a hint of movement and swing for the pacers, but the Indian openers were well up to the task on a largely sunny morning.

An England attack that did not have either James Anderson or Stuart Broad in its roster did not seem to have the ammunition to trouble the Indian batters on a rather flaccid pitch.

The unit consisting of Stokes himself, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue and Chris Woakes either bowled too full for Rahul and Jaiswal to bring out their drives, or were on pads for the batters to milk them for some easy singles.

The England camp might just have mentally revisited the days when Anderson or Broad restricted the rival batters on such dry days with impeccable line and length, but those days have firmly passed, as the Indian batters received ample scoring opportunities.

Jaiswal began the morning with a gorgeous drive through mid-off off Woakes, and Rahul played a series of exquisite drives through covers off Carse and Tongue as the first session produced an astounding 16 fours altogether.

There were a couple of play and miss by Jaiswal and a cheeky shot over slips by Rahul off Stokes, but those were mere aberrations.

Jaiswal’s effort will particularly please the Indian management because the left-hander failed to impress in the pre-tour games while playing for India A against the England Lions recently, often getting out in the channel outside.

But here, Jaiswal showed admirable restraint while dealing with the ball in the traditional corridor of doubt.

Rahul, who got his opening slot back after the retirement of Rohit Sharma, was in his usual sturdy self, showing fine judgment and technical nous, until he fatally decided to play a loose drive off Carse for Joe Root to take a catch at slip.

Root (209) is now just one catch away from equalling former Indian skipper Rahul Dravid’s record of 210 catches in Test cricket.