1st Test: James Anderson pulls England back into contest before rain forces early stumps

James Anderson struck twice in two deliveries to help England back into the second session before incessant rain forced early stumps on the second day of the first test in Nottingham on Thursday.

The tourists, cruising at 97 for no loss in the morning, slumped to 125-4 when play was halted and rain followed. KL Rahul was batting on 57 with Rishabh Pant unbeaten on seven at the other end as India are trailing by 58 runs in the first innings

Resuming on 21 for no loss in reply to England’s first innings total of 183, India had a near-perfect morning session. Rohit and Rahul played cautiously and the duo saw off the first hour without a single hiccup. Both batsmen were looking set to make the English bowlers toil on the park.

The duo mixed caution with aggression and they were about to see out the first session when Ollie Robinson bounced out Rohit Sharma for 36 with the final delivery before lunch. In the first session, India had scored 97/1 with KL Rahul unbeaten on 48 at the crease.

Anderson returned after the break to wreck India’s top order, dismissing Cheteshwar Pujara and Kohli in successive deliveries with Jos Buttler taking both the catches. Pujara made four and Kohli fell for a golden duck.

Notably, this is the first time since 2014 that James Anderson has managed to get the prized scalp of Virat Kohli in Test cricket. Ajinkya Rahane denied Anderson a hat-trick but did not last long and ran himself out after making five.