Ben Stokes makes the ball talk, uproots Dinesh Karthik’s middle stump

When the English team was dismissed for 287 early on the second day of the first Test at Edgbaston the Indians felt they had an advantage. James Anderson and Stuart Broad ran in hard with the new ball but there was hardly any swing to aid their effort. The first change Sam Curran was able to move the ball late and that troubled the Indians. Curran’s spell where he bagged three wickets brought them back in the game and then Ben Stokes produced another inspired spell to push the Indians further back.

He dismissed Ajinkya Rahane who half played a shot to hit it straight to the slip fielder. Stokes now had a spring in his step and was running in with a lot more intent. He was getting the ball to come into the right-handers and substantially. Dinesh Karthik the Indian wicketkeeper was out there facing him. It dipped in and Karthik was nowhere in his attempt to face it.

The ball breached past his defence and crashed into his middle stump. It was out of the ground and his woodwork was nicely disturbed. It was late inswing a beautiful delivery that looks like it will move away but came back in. Kumar Sangakkara in the commentary box was just trying to explain how Stokes is very deceptive and Karthik missed that one.

The keeper-batsman was yet to open his account and before he could get a real feel of the game Stokes booked his return back to the pavilion. With two wickets in his two overs, the English allrounder pushed the Indian team right on the backfoot and they are now fighting for survival.

Here is the video of the dismissal:

Virat Kohli is still there on the crease – struggling but he’s held up one end for more than 70 balls. He edged quite a few deliveries from Anderson who bowled a fired up spell and got one to carry to the fielder as well but it was dropped.

India currently is 115/5 and will be interesting to see what Kohli and Hardik Pandya can do here on.

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