Virat Kohli's superb effort in the slips cuts short Alastair Cook's stint

England were offered a featherbed of a pitch and sunny conditions in Southampton after they won the toss and opted to bat first. It was only about their batsmen seeing off the first couple of hours due to the moisture in the wicket. The things couldn’t have been better for the struggling opening pair of Alastair Cook and Keaton Jennings. But so far it is all India and the wicket of the former has stamped their authority thanks to a superb catch from Virat Kohli in the slips.

The hosts were struggling after losing the three wickets upfront. But the assured stay of Cook until then was the only hope for their fans. Last time when he faced India in Southampton in 2014, the left-hander was going through a similar form and notched up the scores of 70 and 95. He did all the work hard and played more than 50 balls and then fell after getting a start once again.

Poor shot from Cook

It was the 18th over of the innings and England were reeling at 36/3. Hardik Pandya, the star with the ball at Trent Bridge, bowled a short of a length delivery across Alastair Cook with no harm in it. It was going away from the batsman. But looking at the width, Cook tried to dab/cut the ball and in the process toe-ended to the third slip.

Virat Kohli was standing in the cordon and though he reacted late, he managed to get down in time and grab a stunning catch to send back the most experienced player of the opposition. After fighting so hard and leaving the ball really well, Cook got out to a poor delivery and once again threw away his start scoring 17 off 55 deliveries with three fours.

The session has been dominated by the visitors as Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler are fighting it out in the middle. The hosts will hope that this duo forges a big partnership and help them make a comeback.

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