'Indian batters generous in gifting their wickets': Michael Atherton on India's batting in first Test

Former England captain Michael Atherton has said that the Indian batters were overly charitable in giving away their wickets on Day 2 of the first Test against England in Hyderabad. The Rohit Sharma-led side galloped along to take their lead to 175 at the end of the second day’s play. Yashasvi Jaiswal started the innings with a lot of intent and purpose but fell on 80 off 74 balls. Rohit Sharma, his partner, made 24 off 27 balls, while Shubman Gill, batting at No.3, was sent back for 23 off 66 balls. KL Rahul, who batted at number 4, scored 86 off 123 balls. However, Atherton said that Rahul could have converted it into a larger score and suggested that a player like Kohli would not have gifted his wicket. “They (England) were fortunate that India’s top order was in a generous mood but the situation at the close was very bad even so and could have been even worse," Atherton wrote in his column for The Times. Follow LIVE: IND vs ENG 1st Test, Day 3 “It is hard to imagine that Virat Kohli would have been as obliging as his team-mates were here, and the biggest culprit was his replacement at No. 4, the stylish and gifted KL Rahul, who had a hundred for the taking before hammering a long-hop from Tom Hartley into the deep,” he further wrote. Atherton was also surprised that England didn’t use Jack Leach as much on Day 2 and that Stokes was hesitant in giving him long spells. “The most puzzling aspect revolved around the deployment of Jack Leach, England’s most experienced spinner. Until now, Leach has been something of a pet project for Ben Stokes and, in response to the many shows of faith, Leach has responded by growing in stature and confidence,” Atherton wrote. Leach only bowled 16 overs on Day 2 as the other spinners, including Joe Root, did the major bowling as India kept piling on the runs. However, after the day’s play Jeetan Patel, the spin bowling coach, said that Leach was struggling with a knee injury. India ended Day 2 with a lead of 175 runs and ended their innings with a net lead of 190 runs.