Stuart Broad took six wickets as India were bowled out for just 152 before tea on the first day of the fourth Test against England at Old Trafford on Thursday. Broad finished with figures of six for 25 in 13.4 overs, his third-best innings return in Tests, including a post-lunch burst of four for six in 21 balls. Meanwhile, new-ball partner James Anderson took three for 46 in 14 overs on his Lancashire home ground. India equalled the record of six ducks in a Test innings, with three of their top four batsmen out for nought.
But given they had been eight for four, India's final score represented something of a recovery. India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who won the toss and elected to bat despite the initially overcast conditions, led from the front by top-scoring with 71. The only other batsmen to make it into double figures were the recalled Ravichandran Ashwin (40) and Ajinkya Rahane (24). All of India's first four wickets fell with their score on eight, a quartet of batsmen dismissed in the space of 13 balls. Gautam Gambhir, recalled in place of the dropped Shikhar Dhawan in one of three changes to the India side that lost the third Test in Southampton by 266 runs, was first to go when he nicked Broad to Joe Root in the gully.
Anderson, man-of-the-match in Southampton as England levelled the five-match series at 1-1 with their first win in 11 Tests, received a boost Wednesday when the International Cricket Council said it would not challenge the decision of judicial commissioner Gordon Lewis to clear him of charges he had abused India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja in the drawn first Test at Trent Bridge.
He initially struggled to control the lavish swing on offer but the 32-year-old, who started the match just 12 wickets shy of Ian Botham's England record of 383 Test wickets, got his line and length right in the fifth over. He took two wickets for no runs in three balls as both opener Murali Vijay and Virat Kohli fell for ducks after edging to England captain Alastair Cook at first slip. Cheteshwar Pujara also exited for nought when he got an outside edge off Broad and Jordan, diving to his right, held a fine catch at third slip.
India were now eight for four inside six overs. Rahane and Dhoni then repaired some of the early damage. But a fifth-wicket stand worth 54 ended when Rahane edged Jordan to Ian Bell at second slip. At lunch, India were 63 for five with Dhoni 25 not out and Jadeja yet to score. Jadeja, jeered when he walked out to bat by a partisan crowd unhappy at his role in the Anderson row, soon found himself walking back in with nought against his name.
And to cap it all, he was lbw to Anderson, after an inswinger beat the left-hander's defence. Ashwin top-edged Anderson for six before wicketkeeper Jos Buttler dropped him on 25. But a stand worth 66 ended when Ashwin, playing his first Test of the year, top-edged a hook off Broad and was caught at square leg by Sam Robson having made 40 in just 42 balls. Dhoni completed a 115-ball fifty when he cover-drove all-rounder Chris Woakes for his 11th four. But Dhoni was eventually out when he hoisted a Broad ball from outside off stump straight to Jordan at deep backward square leg.
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Scoreboard
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India 1st Innings
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M. Vijay c Cook b Anderson 0
G. Gambhir c Root b Broad 4
C. Pujara c Jordan b Broad 0
V. Kohli c Cook b Anderson 0
A. Rahane c Bell b Jordan 24
M. S. Dhoni c Jordan b Broad 71
R. Jadeja lbw b Anderson 0
R. Ashwin c Robson b Broad 40
B. Kumar b Broad 0
V. Aaron not out 1
Pankaj Singh b Broad 0
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Extras: (b10, lb1, w1) 12
Total: (all out, 46.4 overs, 232 mins) 152
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