NASSER HUSSAIN: Anderson & Stokes were OUTSTANDING on day two v India

NASSER HUSSAIN: Jimmy Anderson and Ben Stokes were OUTSTANDING on the second day and are true giants of the game… and they’ll be the first to support the struggling Dom Bess after a torrid return to the starting XI

• James Anderson bowled beautifully to set up and dismiss Ajinkya Rahane
• Ben Stokes did likewise to remove India dangerman Rohit Sharma on Friday
• Dom Bess didn’t have the best day and Joe Root handled him as well as he could
• REPORT: India lead England by 89 runs after ending day two of fourth Test 294-7

Whatever happens from here nothing can be taken away from two giants of English cricket in Jimmy Anderson and Ben Stokes who were absolutely outstanding on the second day.

England were a bowler short and their off-spinner was struggling so, when there was something in it off the pitch and through the air for the seamers, Joe Root only had Anderson and Stokes to turn to. And boy did they stand up.

The skill, accuracy, effort, fitness and the way these two champions worked out the batsmen was exemplary and kept England very much in the game until that last session. The way they kept coming back in those conditions was incredible.

James Anderson (left) and Ben Stokes were brilliant for England against India on Friday

Anderson teed up Ajinkya Rahane with several inswing and outswingers before getting him out

Stokes set up Rohit Sharma by holding the ball outside off-stump before a glorious inswinger

Look at the way Anderson set up Ajinkya Rahane with outswing, inswing, outswing inswing until he did not know what was going on and poked his bat outside off-stump.

Then the way Stokes set up Rohit Sharma by holding the ball outside off-stump and from nowhere bringing in that big, booming inswinger. And Ben had only bowled 15 overs in the series before this match and had been ill with a stomach bug all week.

England worked on the ball beautifully, too, through Dan Lawrence on the field to get swing which they haven’t seen much of and it did the trick for the first two sessions.

Root handled his big two perfectly – and he had to after the mistakes made here in team selection and again with the misreading of conditions because it was blatantly obvious England needed three seamers.

He handled Dom Bess as well as he could do as well. Some might say the young spinner wasn’t treated well after the first Test when he was dropped and told to go away and work on his game. But, from what I have seen both before and after Bess was left out, what else could Root have done? He has seen a bowler who is really struggling.

By the end of the day you could tell from Bess’ body language how much he was hurting. The cameras were constantly on him and he had seen Anderson bowl with great control and economy. Then he came on and immediately released the pressure by bowling a big full toss that went for four. It was obvious he was shaken.

Dom Bess (pictured) endured a difficult day bowling but captain Joe Root managed him well

Bess is not doing it on purpose and he would have felt he had let his team down. So Root’s arm round his shoulder was spot on. The captain is trying to get him in the game, not least because he might need him in the second innings, while also protecting him.

And there was support too from Bess from the vice-captain, Stokes clapping him from slip whenever he bowled a good ball. England want to look after a young player and this team are a good, solid bunch who will rally round him.

The reality of Test cricket is that any errors a side make can come back to bite them in time. England’s errors in again not reaching a par score and going in a seamer light were exposed in that last session after Rishabh Pant had sat in before brilliantly going on the attack when the bowlers tired.

It annoys me when an attacking batsman says ‘that’s the way I play’ when they get out going for a big shot. Pant has sometimes been guilty of that when he’s hit one in the air but on Friday I saw a batsman who read the situation perfectly. It is the difference between an ego player and a situation player.

Pant sat in at first but he knew Root only had those two seamers and one spinner struggling to land it. Eventually he could wear them down and they would toil. By the time the new ball came along Anderson and Stokes wee exhausted and it was the ideal time to pounce.

Rishabh Pant scored a brilliant century as India took control of the fourth Test against England

Pant scored 101 off 118 deliveries to spearhead India to 89 runs past England’s 205 total

How brilliantly Pant pounced – to charge Anderson and then to reverse scoop him for four was extraordinary and an example of the new ‘in your face’ India epitomised by the likes of Virat Kohli and their batsman-keeper. They will never take a backward step.

That was one of the best innings I have seen for a long time and, as Australia know, Pant has done that sort of thing for a while now. Add wicketkeeping that has been exceptional in this series and you are looking at a serious talent.

All day England would have been thinking how they could have squeezed that extra spinner into the side while not losing the runs that Lawrence brought at seven. And the answer, of course, is Moeen Ali which is why they asked him to stay on in the first place.

England are up against it now. If they could find a way of winning this final Test everyone will forget the mistakes and just remember the notable achievement of a 2-2 draw. But if India win and go on to the World Test Championship final all those decisions will come back to haunt Root. That’s the fine line a captain treads.

England captain Joe Root has plenty to ponder with his selections possibly proving costly

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