Captain Virat Kohli won a rare good toss and opted to bat first, which was a fair decision given the bright overhead conditions. But little did one know that the chinks in India’s batting would be out in the open yet again. And that too, in a space of just over a week after a marvellous win at Lord’s.

Leading 1-0 in the series, an unchanged India were blown away for 78 in their first innings by an England side further depleted in their bowling on Day I of the third Test at Headingley in Leeds.

England’s new opening pair of Rory Burns (52 batting) and Haseeb Hameed (60 batting) expectedly came out with a better frame of mind after the bowlers skittled India out for their third lowest total on English soil in cricket’s oldest format.

The English openers have so far done well, helping their side take a 42-run lead as they galloped to a solid-looking 120 for no loss at stumps on Wednesday. To rub salt into India’s wounds, Hameed was let off late in the final session by Rohit Sharma in the slip cordon, when the batsman was on 46, off Jasprit Bumrah’s bowling.

The batsmen’s poor batting seemed to have had an effect on India’s bowlers too.

In the very first over of England’s reply, Ishant Sharma was wayward. He bowled a couple of no-balls and a wide that gave away a few extra runs when India needed to make England work extra hard for every single run.

England were dealt another blow ahead of this Test when seamer Mark Wood got sidelined with a shoulder injury. However, such a capitulation from India was the last thing Joe Root’s men had dreamt of. Besides, it came on the day all-rounder Ben Stokes hit that unforgettable unbeaten century versus Australia at this very venue to help England make it 1-1 in the 2019 Ashes.

Copping criticism for his ploy on the final day of the Lord’s Test, James Anderson quickly made amends as he triggered the collapse by dismissing KL Rahul in the very first over of the day.

In almost every innings so far on the tour, Rahul has stood out with his patience and discipline. But on Wednesday, he couldn’t hold himself back when Anderson invited him for an off-drive, and edged the ball to wicket keeper Jos Buttler.

Anderson then brought the confusion back in Cheteshwar Pujara’s mind. After a few deliveries that came in to Pujara, another one in the corridor of uncertainty seemed to confuse the India No.3 further and he just couldn’t avoid the edge. India were two down for only four in the fifth over, and the onus was on Rohit and skipper Kohli to pull their team out of the woods.

But Anderson’s intelligence ensured the partnership was quickly broken, when he outsmarted Kohli for the second time in the series and had the India captain caught behind. On all four innings so far, Kohli has been dismissed edging outside the off stump.

His deputy Ajinkya Rahane, regaining some form in the previous Test, looked good for a while before Ollie Robinson got him to nick one at the stroke of lunch, after which matters became worse for India though Anderson wasn’t even required to bowl in the second session.

With all due respect to Rishabh Pant’s natural game, he played a loose, irresponsible stroke that gifted Robinson his second wicket, as India lost half their side for just 58. The Indian innings was going nowhere and that affected Rohit, as he eventually perished to a soft dismissal, with Craig Overton (replacing Wood) picking up his first wicket.

Mohammed Shami and Bumrah were also soon brought back to reality as both perished off their very first balls, off Overton and Sam Curran, respectively.

Back in 2002 at Headingley, the Sourav Ganguly-led side had ended Day I of that Test on 236/2 before piling up a 600-plus total and going on to beat England by an innings. That English bowling attack was far more experienced, featuring the likes of Andrew Caddick, Matthew Hoggard, Andrew Flintoff and Ashley Giles. More importantly, the Indian batsmen had to face them in overcast conditions.

Not to draw any comparison with the current Indian batting line-up, but this could serve as a timely reminder for those saying the previous touring Indian sides could be bullied and so on.