'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
India losing the 2nd Specsavers' Test against England at Lord's yesterday is clearly the biggest news going around among cricketing circles right now.
India were bundled out for 107 and 130 in each innings, as they still failed to clear England's first innings score of 396/7 declared. Chris Woakes, James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Jonny Bairstow and Sam Curran were the biggest contributors to the win as India's captain Kohli himself admitted how outclassed they felt at the end of the game. The win by an innings and 159 runs will definitely boost the hosts' prospects in the upcoming games as well.
As of now, here we bring you a few of the other most important cricket stories from today.
__________________________________________________________________________
#5 Adil Rashid completes rare "achievement"
The England leg-spinner was part of the side that steamrolled the Indian side. In a match where nearly no shortcomings were faced by the hosts - be it batting, bowling or even fielding, Adil Rashid created a unique record on his own.
England pace bowlers James Anderson (9 wickets), Stuart Broad (5), Chris Woakes (4) and Sam Curran (1) picked up 19 of the 20 Indian wickets, while Pujara's run out in the first innings was the sole exception. While batting, eight English batsmen combined to form a total of 396/7, after which they declared. Among the best scorers were Chris Woakes (137), Jonny Bairstow (93), and Sam Curran (40).
Adil Rashid, however, does not have his name written anywhere on the scoreboard.
England captain Joe Root never needed to make use of Rashid's leg-spin, with the ball swinging prodigiously. Root also declared their innings at 396 at the fall of the seventh wicket, just as Rashid was ready to come in. Rashid also did not take a catch, with most of the catches going behind the wicket.
Rashid on Sunday thus became just the 14th player in the 141-year-old history of Test cricket, and the first Englishman in 13 years to complete a Test match without bowling, batting, taking a catch or effecting a run-out throughout the game.
The last such instance was in 2005 when former England leg-spinner Gareth Batty faced a similar situation when England ousted Bangladesh by an innings and 261 runs.
#4 Kohli, Shastri to face tough questions after humiliating loss
The Indian cricket team should definitely be ready to face a lot of heat in the coming days, given the manner of loss in yesterday's game. The media, fans and even the BCCI will have a lot of questions at the side soon enough.
Reports state that the team management is highly disappointed with India's performance. The side could not manage a sum total of even 250 runs with 20 wickets in hand and also gave away nearly 400 runs while bowling as well.
Among all possible scapegoats, captain Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri may suffer the worst for the team's dismal showing. Sources within the BCCI have already started a round of fire against the duo, according to PTI's media reports.
A senior BCCI official talked in detail of how they interacted with the players and made sure of ample practice before the event, as in conducting white-ball games ahead of Tests to acclimatize to the conditions well, and also including some key Test players not playing limited over games in "shadow tours" as part of the India-A side, so that even they can achieve practice. According to him, the administration will not take the blame for the loss, as was the case after the South African tour, as this time around they had mobilized every requirement effectively as required.
It looks like Shastri's and Kohli's positions of authority are in danger now if the team continues to offer a poor showing in the remainder of the series.
#3 The third Test at Trent Bridge: Ben Stokes most likely to be ruled out
The third Test match of the Specsavers' England-India test series will begin at Trent Bridge on August 18th (Saturday), and England has already considered a potential lineup for the game. A key player to miss out will be the all-rounder Ben Stokes, who has been ruled out of the game, owing to the ongoing trial for affray at a Bristol court.
The trial ends almost a day before the team will be announced in actual for the game, but Stokes is most likely to miss the game as "there is a fear he may be too exhausted to play at Trent Bridge", according to a report in The Telegraph. The trial resumes on Monday.
Stokes was absent in the 2nd Test as well, and captain Root had spoken about his importance in the dressing room and how it's "always a miss" when he is not part of the playing XI.
In his absence, Chris Woakes was lined up as a replacement, who in turn showed his strength with a brilliant 137 not out, and four wickets across both of India's innings. Overall, England's squad in the second Test exhibited such dominance over the Indian side that it is safe to say that the side may choose to go unchanged into the third game as well.
#2 "Confident of playing next Test" despite back-strain, says Virat Kohli
The humbling loss that the visitors were subjected to should definitely make the contingent sit up and take notes, as they will now play three must-win games if they have to win the series.
Meanwhile, Virat Kohli spoke up on his back-strain that kept him away from the field on Day 4, and which later hindered his batting in India's second innings. He was asked about the injury during the post-match presentation ceremony which is when he said, "Five days to go, (I) should be okay. (It's the) lower back issue coming up again and again, purely because of the workload. Confident I'll be fine in five days' time."
He further detailed on the issue in the press conference later on.
"The back is one thing that can be very tricky when it goes off. The good thing is I have five days before the next Test. We are confident with rehabilitation and strengthening, I should be ready for the next game," he said, before adding on how he felt a need to cut down on the intensity that he usually tends to exhibit in matches while fielding, so that he can be of maximum use with the bat, something for which he is held in the highest of regards.
Kohli's fitness is of prime importance for the side if they would like to see any possibility of a resurgence in the remainder of the series.
#1 Virat Kohli loses No. 1 Test batting rank to Steve Smith (again)
The toughest of fortunes have sided with Virat Kohli right now. Not only has his side lost a chance to claim the series, but in the meantime, the star Indian batsman will also have to deal with an injury care on his back.
Fresh tidings coming in, carry more sad news for the captain. Within a week of claiming the No. 1 Test batting ranking from Aussie former-captain Steven Smith, Kohli will now have to surrender it back, owing to a poor performance in the Lord's Test.
Virat failed to lift his team out of difficult situations in the Lord’s Test, playing knocks of 23 and 17 as his side fell like a pack of cards for 107 and 130 respectively. The Indian batting charts have affected the rankings of most other batsmen as well, as all of them spiralled downwards in positions. R. Ashwin, however, jumped to 57th spot from 67, due to his top-scoring efforts of 29 and 33 not out in either inning. He is also the new No. 3 all-rounder in rankings, taking the spot from Vernon Philander of South Africa.
Among England players, all of Broad, Woakes, Bairstow, Buttler, Curran and even debutant Ollie Pope have gained in various ranking charts. James Anderson meanwhile, extended his lead at the top of the bowling charts by 21 points, against South Africa's Kagiso Rabada.
