- By Manik Sharma
- Sat, 27 Jan 2024 08:32 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
IND vs ENG: England was left reeling after India imposed their presence with a late onslaught at the end of Day 2, taking a comprehensive lead in the match. However, it was not just the leakage of runs that was a cause for concern for the visitors; the underlying injury to their frontline spinner Jack Leach further aggravated the situation.
The English team's spin-bowling coach, Jeetan Patel revealed that the left-arm spinner Leach has issues with his knee. He said that the experienced spinner, who initially injured his knee while attempting to save a boundary on day one, worsened the condition during the morning of the second day.
"He banged his knee last night, the first dive down at fine leg. Then he banged it again today and it's giving him a little gyp, to be honest. You noticed in the outfield he was a little sluggish trying to get to balls, but he stuck at it and I thought he actually bowled really, really well considering," EspnCricinfo quoted Jeetan as saying.
"It must be pretty serious, or serious for him anyway, because the reality is he wouldn't shirk that responsibility. It is sore enough. You watch him in the outfield and I don't think it's a graze. For him to come back and keep bowling the overs he did... I believe he'll be back in the fourth innings," Jeetan added.
During the match in Hyderabad, Leach could only manage to bowl 16 overs out of 87, delivering a maximum of four overs in a spell. Patel appreciated Leach's dedication to the team for bowling despite feeling a niggle.
“That's what Jack does for this team, he'll always put in," Jeetan said.
Root took charge in Leach's limited presence, bowling 25 overs, and claiming two crucial wickets, including Yashasvi Jaiswal and Srikar Bharat.
"He's got another night to rest it. He's a tough bloke, and he'll be raring to go. He's never going to shirk the responsibility of the job he has, but it's about being smart as well. We've got four Tests to go and another innings at the back end of this game. We need a key man like Jack," Jeetan hinted at a comeback.
India asserted their dominance on the second day of the first Test against England, finishing at 421 for seven. Ravindra Jadeja's resilient fifty (81*) and KL Rahul's masterful performance were standout contributions. India have taken a lead of 175 runs in the match.
