Debasis Sen, Chelmsford: Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav put up an impressive bowling performance on the second day of the practice match against Essex here in Chelmsford. The hosts still trail by 158 runs with 5 wickets remaining in the innings. Both Ishant (2/38) and Umesh (2/23) took two wickets each. Md Shami had a disappointing day as the Bengal pacer went wicketless after rolling his arms for 14 overs. His figures read 14-0-59-0. Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin did not bowl as he had a slight niggle while batting during practice in the morning. But the off-spinner did bowl at nets during lunch and will be perfectly fit before the first test match at Edgbaston which gets underway from August 01.
Michael Pepper and Tom Westley had most to smile about as Essex responded with 237 for 5 to India’s first innings total of 395 all out on another scorching day at the County Ground.
Twenty-year-old Pepper scored an aggressive 68 from 74 balls while Westley made 59 runs. The hosts did not make the greatest starts as openers Varun Chopra and Nick Browne both fell to leg before decisions, Chopra for 16 and Browne or 11 before Pepper joined Westley with the score on 45 for 2.
Pepper figured in two half-century partnerships, the first of 68 in 15 overs with Westley and another of 56 in nine overs with Rishi Patel. The latter, on his 20thbirthday, looked assured but having scored 19, he edged a ball from Umesh Yadav that moved away and he edged a catch to wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik.
Indians managed to send down only 50 overs in the final two sessions after Essex earlier claimed the final four Indian wickets for 73 runs when the tourists had resumed the day on 322-6.
Karthik failed to add to his overnight 82, upper-cutting the first delivery of the day to Matt Dixon at the wide third man, a dismissal that gave Walter his third wicket of the innings.
Walter also got rid of Hardik Pandya for 51 on his way to final figures of 4-113 from 21 overs.