Jimmy Anderson was closing in on history on Saturday night as England took control of the fifth Test – but not before his demonic pursuit of Virat Kohli threatened to land him in hot water.
England’s attack leader disposed of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane to move within two wickets of equalling Glenn McGrath’s Test haul of 563, the most by any fast bowler. And he will surely overhaul him before the series is over.
But to his obvious irritation, the wicket of Kohli – Moby Dick to his Captain Ahab – remained elusive, as it seems destined to in this summer of playing and missing.
Ben Stokes celebrates after taking India captain Virat Kohli's wicket with him just shy of a half century
Ben Stokes takes his first wicket of the Test and was soon to have his second after he bowled out Pant for five runs
England players celebrate with Stokes after he makes a vital wicket, removing India talisman Virat Kohli
England's Ben Stokes (left) looks on after Adil Rashid drops a great chance to catch India's Hanuma Vihari (right)
The flashpoint came with Kohli on 16, and India 94 for two in reply to an England total of 332 which owed plenty to Jos Buttler’s restorative 89. Anderson produced a beautiful inswinger and let rip with an lbw shout that might have been heard north of the river.
Kumar Dharmasena remained unmoved, however, and the review suggested umpire’s call on impact. In other words, not enough of the ball had hit Kohli in line with off stump – though he would have stayed out had Dharmasena raised his finger.
It was more than Anderson could bear. Statistical experts CricViz calculated it was the 46th false shot India’s captain had played against him this series – without losing his wicket. It is an uncanny sequence. Anderson decided someone was going to get it in the neck.
He made what looked like a tart observation to Dharmasena, who was unhappy to have his judgment queried and spoke to Joe Root. Inevitably, Kohli piled in. This may be a dead Test – England lead 3-1 – but Anderson and Kohli would fall out over a game of shove ha’penny.
In the event, England got their man when Kohli, one run short of a sixth score of 50 or more in a series that has brought him a total of 592, prodded Ben Stokes to second slip, where Root clung on and celebrated with a pair of clenched fists.
James Anderson celebrates after taking his first wicket of the afternoon in India's Cheteshwar Pujara
James Anderson celebrates taking Pujara for 37 runs during day two at The Oval and he soon had a second wicket
Alistair Cook takes the catch of India's Ajinkaya Rahane and it was Anderson's second wicket of the day
Stuart Broad was in action and took a wicket himself during the afternoon's play as he bowled out Shikhar Dwahan
In his next over, Stokes had Rishabh Pant taken by Alastair Cook at first, and India were 160 for six. They added 14 by stumps, and will resume on day three still trailing by 158. It is a long way back.
All this seemed like an unlikely scenario when England began the second day on 198 for seven. Adil Rashid fell quickly, but Buttler confirmed why his batting has been one of the joys of the summer, as well as an eye-opener for the more conservative elements in English cricket.
There was so much fretting in some quarters when he was picked for the first Test in Pakistan in late May on the back of his white-ball form in the IPL, it was as if a scrum-half had been asked to play in the second row.
Yet his runs here took his tally since his recall to 510 – nearly 200 more than Root, who is second in the list. He has made them all at No 6 or 7. In a batting line-up that has often felt at sixes and sevens itself, that is quite an achievement.
There must now be a serious case for promoting Buttler to No 5, not least because he is often obliged to hit out with only the lower order for company. In one respect, this is no bad thing, since it wakes the Kraken within. As Anderson, England’s No 11, watched on from the other end, two sixes in three balls off Jasprit Bumrah – a mow over cow corner and a hook over fine leg – were vintage Buttler.
But it is also a waste, because he has become far more than the jolly hitter many suspected would be the limit of his ambitions. More than any England batsman this season, he has found the perfect Test-match tempo, alternating between defence and attack with an instinct for the needs of the moment.
And it was his good sense that supervised yet another England recovery, a theme of the series that has cost India dear.
Broad appeals and dismisses Dhawan for three runs as he sends England on way to a good start at The Oval
England players celebrate after James Anderson takes his second wicket of the afternoon
Anderson makes an unsuccessful appeal for the wicket of Virat Kohli who went on to hit 49 runs
Alastair Cook lies despairingly on the ground after dropping a catch during the afternoon's play
In the second innings at Edgbaston, they went from 87 for seven to 180, and in the first at Lord’s, from 131 for five to 396 for seven. In the first at Southampton, they turned 86 for six into 246.
Now, as Buttler added 98 for the ninth wicket with Stuart Broad, England added 151 for a perilous 181 for seven. If their top five had shown the same gumption as their bottom five, Root’s team might now be looking at a whitewash.
Broad, who made 38, took his energy into the Indian innings, trapping Shikhar Dhawan with his first ball. Later, he would have added a second had England reviewed a leg-before shout against debutant Hanuma Vihari before he had scored: Hawk-Eye had the inducker hitting the top of leg stump.
With the lights now on and the ball swinging, Broad won an lbw appeal against Vihari, only for technology to rule that the delivery would have cleared the stumps. Somehow, India’s new No 6 survived to the close.
In between, Sam Curran accounted for KL Rahul for 37 with a beauty that pitched on middle stump before clipping the outside of off. Anderson then had Pujara caught behind, also for 37, to become Test cricket’s leading wicket-taker against India with 106, and Rahane caught by Cook for a duck.
It was engrossing stuff. All that remains is for him to remove Kohli in the second innings – preferably as Test victim No 564.
Jos Buttler hits six off of India's Jasprit Bumrah as he sent England on their way to a commanding lead at The Oval
Buttler racked up 89 runs and helped England turn an overnight 198-7 into 332 all out with him last man to fall
Stuart Broad also put on a good show in bat as he contributed 38 runs to England's first innings on day two
However Broad was caught out by Lokesh Rahul as India looked to stop the early morning damage
https://hienalouca.com/2018/09/08/india-collapse-late-on-day-two-as-stokes-removes-kolhi-and-pant-after-buttler-hits-brilliant-89/
Main photo article Jimmy Anderson was closing in on history on Saturday night as England took control of the fifth Test – but not before his demonic pursuit of Virat Kohli threatened to land him in hot water.
England’s attack leader disposed of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane to move within two wickets of equ...
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Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.
Dianne Reeves Sport HienaLouca
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/09/08/18/4FE446AB00000578-6146395-image-a-55_1536427643403.jpg
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