Tendulkar lauds Holder for bringing on spinner in 1st session of 2nd Test

Manchester, July 16 (IANS) Indian cricket great Sachin Tendulkar lauded West Indies captain Jason Holder for bringing on Roston Chase during the 1st session of their second Test against England at Old Trafford on Thursday. Tendulkar said that the dampness on the pitch may help the spinners get grip and make life difficult for the batsmen.

“In the 1st session I noticed a few balls didn’t even carry to the keeper off fast bowlers indicating a lot of dampness in the pitch. Smart move by @Jaseholder98 to bring on a spinner on such a track where the odd ball may grip and the other may go straight. #ENGvWI,” Tendulkar tweeted.

He also tweeted on the need for England skipper Joe Root and Dom Sibley to put on a strong show with the bat. “@root66 & @DomSibley in a crucial partnership for England. WI needs to find a way to get breakthroughs while the ball is fairly new. Old Trafford is a hard surface when it dries out hence the ball will become soft. A lot will depend on how the teams play the new ball. #ENGvWI,” he wrote.

While skipper Root and Dom Sibley did share a 52-run stand for the third wicket, but the former fell to Alzarri Joseph in the second session. Ben Stokes then gave Sibley company and saw England through to Tea on the first day wicket.

Much of the first session of the day was lost due to a delayed start but West Indies made the most of whatever they had with Chase dismissing opener Rory Burns at the stroke of Lunch. He then dismissed Zak Crawley off the first ball of the second session.

–IANS

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