Broad removes openers, India 102/2 at lunch

London, Jul 23 (PTI) Stuart Broad dented India's spirited
reply with two quick wickets as the visitors reached 102 for
two in the third morning of their first cricket Test against
England here on Saturday.
The tall fast bowler, under weather for his recent
indifferent form, accounted for both Indian openers Gautam
Gambhir (15) and Abhinav Mukund (49) at the Lord's here.
India still trailed by 372 runs after England had
declared their first innings at 474 for eight yesterday.
Rahul Dravid (15) and Sachin Tendulkar (10) were holding
fort at the break, the experienced duo having put on 25 runs
from 45 balls so far.
Broad was brought on to bowl the ninth over of the day
after new-ball bowlers James Anderson and Chris Tremlett were
flummoxed by young opener Mukund's fidgety yet effective
innings of 49.
Mukund lived dangerously, once getting hit on the grill
of his helmet by a bouncer from Tremlett and twice steering
Anderson uppishly through the vacant fourth slip.
Once, an edge fell just short of the gully fielder and in
between there were a couple of mad scrambles for singles where
he could reach the safety of his crease only by diving full
length.
Yet India were not complaining as the two openers saw off
the new ball and completely flustered England's attack who
were looking to make early inroads in the visitors' innings.
The day began with both Anderson and Tremlett bowling
three straight maiden overs between them, hardly making the
batsmen play while allowing them to get their eyes in.
But Mukund was rattled when a bouncer from Tremlett hit
him on the grill of his helmet and affected him to the extent
that he threw his bat at almost everything for the next 10
minutes.
There were a couple of edges which flew between the slip
cordons for fours against Anderson and once a steer almost
carried to the gully fielder.
Mukund, playing his fourth Test, decided to go after the
bowling, once flicking Tremlett for his first boundary and
dispatching the next delivery to square leg fence rather
assuredly.
The young Chennai opener, who made his debut in the
Caribbean last month, looked better off with his flicks as the
first 50 of the innings arrived from 99 balls with five fours.
England, in desperation, replaced Anderson after only
four overs with Broad who straightaway made his presence felt
when he cleaned up Gambhir off a delivery which sneaked in
between the Indian's bat and pad and rattled the stumps.
The opening stand of 63 was still a good base which the
two left-handers provided to the team.
Mukund looked good for his half century when he dragged a
delivery from Broad on to his stumps, one short of his second
successive half century, having batted for 88 balls and 117
minutes and hit five fours. Broad's spell at that stage read
5.4-2-15-2.
Tendulkar, in search of his 100th international hundred,
walked into a standing ovation from the capacity crowd and
promptly charmed them when he punched Broad off the backfoot
to the cover boundary.
Dravid, at the other end, himself made a few pleasing
offdrives but there were a few moments as well when the
Karnataka batsman fiddled with deliveries leaving his off
stump. PTI AS
RCJ