Saturday 8 September 2018 19:33, UK
A birthday half-century for Jos Buttler and Jimmy Anderson closing in on Glenn McGrath - the key info from day two at The Oval.
SCORECARD | HIGHLIGHTS | AS IT HAPPENED
James Anderson moved to within two wickets of Glenn McGrath's record 563 Test wickets for a fast bowler to give England the advantage after day two of the fifth Test against India, writes Sam Drury.
Fired up after he felt he was robbed of the wicket of Virat Kohli, Anderson dismissed Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane as India closed on 174-6.
Jos Buttler has earlier marked his 28th birthday by scoring his 10th Test half-century, going on to make 89 as he led an England recovery from 181-7 on the first evening to post 332.
If anyone was questioning Jos Buttler's inclusion in England's Test team a few months back, they are not anymore. Buttler celebrated his 28th birthday with his fifth fifty of the summer and 10th his of his career, with his 89 lifting the hosts up to a first-innings total of 332 and taking him past 500 runs for the summer in 11 innings.
Buttler not only cemented a half-century at The Oval, during a ninth-wicket stand of 98 with Stuart Broad, but also how important he is becoming to the side. Ben Stokes dismissing Virat Kohli for 49, to leave India five down and 178 runs behind, was also a key moment. A 4-1 series win for the hosts looks a likely scoreline.
James Anderson has now taken more Test wickets against India than anyone else, his dismissal of Anjinkya Rahane for a duck taking him on to 106 against the country, one above Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan (105). Anderson now has 561 Test scalps to his name and is just three away from topping Glenn McGrath as the format's leading seamer.
Broad is up to eighth on the all-time list, meanwhile, above New Zealand great Sir Richard Hadlee after pinning Shikhar Dhawan lbw from his first ball of the match. Three more in this match and he will overtake Kapil Dev.
Virat Kohli's captaincy. You'd have to be bonkers to question his batting but his tactics were under the microscope at lunch with Nasser Hussain perplexed by his field placings to Broad as the England tailender provided terrific support to Buttler in the morning session in South London.
"Kohli has to take some of the responsibility," said Hussain. "To [Alastair] Cook, England's all-time leading run-scorer, he has three slips and a gully but to Broad, who hasn't been able to buy a run for three years, he splits the field. Kolhi is so concerned about going for runs that at times against the tail he forgets to get them out."
If reports in India are to be believed, Kohli's IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore also have their doubts, rumours abound that he will be sacked and replaced by AB de Villiers!
Michael Atherton: "It felt a bit today like the edge had gone out of India's game. They came out this morning and immediately set the field back for Buttler - the seamers had had a pretty long and arduous day the day before and looked a bit stiff and sore and took a while to get into their work. Buttler took control in the morning; he's a very dangerous player in that number seven position. You could see that it was in the back of India's mind that he could create havoc."
Watch day three of the fifth Test between England and India live on Sky Sports Cricket from 10am on Sunday.
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