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India is hosting England in the first Test of the five-match series at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. At Stumps on Day 2, the hosts had taken a lead of 175 runs to be on the front foot in the opening Test after bundling out the Three Lions at the score of 246.
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However, mounting on the struggles, the visitors were handed another blow as their experienced spinner Jack Leach sustained a knee injury on Day 2 of the ongoing Test. While Leach hurt his knee on the opening day, he aggravated the injury on Day 2 in the morning session itself. Spin bowling coach Jeetan Patel at the end of Day 2 revealed the status of the injury which saw the spinner’s leg all wrapped up early ahead of Day 3.
“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,” England’s spin-bowling coach Jeetan Patel revealed at the press conference. “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,” Patel further added.
“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,” he continued.
It is to be noted that the left-arm spinner managed to bowl only 16 overs from the 87 overs on Day 2 of the opening Test.
Speaking of the opening Test, India reached 421/7 at the close of play on Friday, January 26 to have extended their lead to 175 runs with Axar Patel (35 off 62) and Ravindra Jadeja (81 off 155) in the middle.
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