On Day 2 of the first Test between India and England at Headingley, the match saw dramatic swings of momentum, driven by brilliant individual performances and costly lapses—especially from the Indian fielders.
Jasprit Bumrah, India's fast bowling spearhead, once again proved his class by dismissing both openers—Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett—and consistently troubling the English batters. However, he was visibly frustrated after being let down by sloppy fielding. His anguish peaked when Yashasvi Jaiswal dropped Ollie Pope at second slip on 60, a clear chance off a classic outside edge. Cameras caught Bumrah hiding his face behind a cap, trying to mask his disappointment.
This was not the first drop of the innings. Earlier, Ravindra Jadeja spilled a regulation chance at point off Ben Duckett when he was just on 15. Those two drops proved extremely costly, as Duckett and Pope put on a 124-run partnership for the second wicket, helping England bounce back from early trouble.
Despite the setbacks, Bumrah struck again post-tea by forcing Duckett to drag one onto his stumps, breaking the crucial partnership. But the damage was already done by then, as India's fielding errors allowed England to recover and consolidate.
On the batting front, India had started the day strongly. Shubman Gill, leading the side in Rohit Sharma's absence, scored a majestic 147, the second-highest score by an Indian captain on Test debut. He shared a mammoth 209-run partnership with Rishabh Pant, who roared back into form with an explosive 134 off 178 balls, featuring 12 boundaries and 6 sixes.
However, after their dismissals, India collapsed from 430/3 to 471 all out, losing the last 7 wickets for just 41 runs. Ben Stokes (4/66) and Josh Tongue (4/86) exploited the swing-friendly conditions to run through the lower order.
As the match heads into Day 3, England have managed to claw their way back, thanks in large part to India's missed chances. Bumrah’s brilliance kept India in the hunt, but if the visitors are to regain control, they must lift their fielding standards and provide better support to their bowlers.
