Jack Leach, England’s left-arm spinner on Tuesday said his teammates helped him stay strong and make a comeback after the hammering he received from Rishabh Pant in 1st innings during the opening Test win against India.
Riding on Jack Leach (4/76) and James Anderson’s (3/17) fine bowling, England crushed India by 227 runs here on Tuesday to take a 1-0 lead in the four-match series.
Jack Leach Admits England Teammates Helped Him Stay Strong
Jack Leach, who was taken to the task by a belligerent Rishabh Pant on the third day in India’s first innings, shone brightly when the hosts came out to bat again. England batting first posted 578 with skipper Joe Root scoring 218. India managed 337 with Rishabh Pant scoring 91 off only 88 balls with 5 sixes. Despite England managing only 178 in 2nd innings, the side won as 420 run target proved to be a daunting task for India.
“Thought he (Pant) was playing in the IPL. It’s a challenge that comes for a spinner. Was a tough evening that one, but boys helped me stay strong,” Leach said after the match.
Jack Leach picked 2 wickets and conceded 105 runs in only 24 overs which was a tad too expensive in India’s first innings. He picked up 4 scalps in the second innings though including wickets of Cheteshwar Pujara, Ravichandran Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Shahbaz Nadeem. Jack Leach has picked 50 Test wickets.
Jack Leach: Had A Long Time Without Cricket Before Sri Lanka Series
Coming from extremely cold England, it wasn’t easy for the visitors to get acclimatized to the humid conditions in this part of the world. Jack Leach last played a Test in November 2019 against New Zealand before Sri Lanka (January 2021) and the ongoing India series.
“Had a long time without any cricket (before the Sri Lanka series). It was about bowling those long overs in the heat.”
“(It is) My first time in India. They have a great batting line-up and I knew the pressure that comes with it. Happy to take some wickets and get the boys over the line,” the 29-year-old spinner added at the end of the fifth and final day’s play.
Set a world record 420-run target to go one up in the rubber on the fifth day, India were bowled out for 192 in the second session despite captain Virat Kohli’s 72 off 104 balls on a challenging MA Chidambaram surface. India began the day at 39/1, needing 381 runs on the last day. England won by 227 runs and England skipper Joe Root, the double centurion was awarded Man of Match for his vital contribution with the bat.
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