During Axar's second over, Pant was heard on the stump microphone saying: “Someone is getting angry. Someone is getting angry now!” Kohli joined in, predicting: “Bad shot coming, boys.”
England batsmen are losing the battle of skills against India and also, it seemed on Thursday, the battle of nerves. Opener Zak Crawley was taunted into an ill-advised big hit, which proved to be his undoing, after wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant and skipper Virat Kohli got under his skin.
The visitors had already lost Dom Sibley in Axar Patel’s first over, and during the left-arm spinner’s next, Pant was heard on the stump microphone saying: “Someone is getting angry. Someone is getting angry now!”
Kohli joined in, predicting: “Bad shot coming, boys.”
It may be just coincidence, but next ball Crawley decided that he needed to take the attack to Axar as he skipped down the pitch, only to miscue to shot badly and giving Mohammed Siraj at mid-off a simple catch.
England were reduced to 15/2 at that stage, and showed that they are getting easily distracted from the task at hand.
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