Cheteshwar Pujara demonstrated his well-being for next week’s first Test as India recovered well from early losses on day two of their final warm-up match against Derbyshire yesterday.
Two wickets in five balls for Mark Turner and first-team debutant Ben Cotton left India 18 for two, in reply to 326 for five at the County Ground. But a characteristically unhurried Pujara (81) gradually took control in stands of 63 with Virat Kohli and 119 with Mahendra Singh Dhoni – before all-rounder Stuart Binny (81no), uncapped at Test level, consolidated as India were able to declare at stumps on 341 for six.
The tourists appeared to show their hand for the five-Test series against England, with no place for Gautam Gambhir in the top six.
Turner was significantly the most experienced of the home seam attack on the middle day here, and he was the first wicket-taker too – trapping Murali Vijay (six) lbw on the back foot.
Turner’s new-ball partner Cotton made an impressive start and was rewarded in a spell of 8-4-6-1 with the wicket of India’s other opener Shikhar Dhawan – who pushed forward and edged behind to also exit for six.
It took Kohli 10 balls to get off the mark, with a single to cover off Cotton.
India’s poster boy had a moment of concern on 18 when in the first over from Greg Cork, teenage son of former England bowler Dominic, he edged low but marginally short of Chesney Hughes at slip.
There were no further concerns as India’s third-wicket pair closed out the morning, but Kohli did not last long after lunch.
Twenty-year-old Cotton, back for more, struck again and bagged a highly-prized scalp too as Kohli (36) tried to leave a tight line but instead chopped the ball down on to off-stump.
Dhoni (46) surprisingly promoted himself to number five to good effect, as his unorthodox attacking style proved an ideal complement to Pujara.
But he took one liberty too many with David Wainwright, who deceived the India captain in the flight to bowl him leg-stump with the batsman on the charge.
Pujara then promptly retired himself out, for the second match in succession after doing so for 57 at Leicester last week.
It therefore fell to Ravindra Jadeja and Binny to push for parity or better and they succeeded.
