India had a disappointing day with the ball at Old Trafford. England’s openers made full use of the conditions and punished the bowlers. Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting didn’t mince words while analysing India’s performance.

Although the pitch offered less help, India made things worse by missing key opportunities early. Indian seamers gave away too many runs. As a result, Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley built a massive opening stand and put India under pressure.

Ponting Questions Kamboj’s Role with the New Ball

Ponting strongly criticised India’s decision to give debutant Anshul Kamboj the new ball instead of Mohammed Siraj. While Jasprit Bumrah maintained control from one end, Kamboj struggled to stop the run flow.

Ponting told Sky Sports, "They got scored off on both sides of the wicket, didn't they? You know, we broadly talked then about how they bowled to Pope. I think they were tactically off as well. I don't think Kamboj shouldn't have taken the new ball. Yeah, I didn't like that from the start. And he was, I mean, and Duckett's five of his first six boundaries were behind square leg side. So they got it tactically wrong there."

Bumrah Bowled from the Wrong End

Ponting also pointed out another tactical mistake. He believed Bumrah bowled from the wrong end. According to him, most wickets had fallen from the Statham End, not the Anderson End where Bumrah was operating.

He said, "I think even watching now, Bumrah, I think, is bowling from the wrong end. All the wickets, most of the wickets, have fallen from the Statham end. And he's done most of his work bowling from the Anderson end. So they've been, they were off execution wise. And I think tactically have been off a little bit as well."

England’s Openers Punish India

Earlier in the day, India posted 358. In reply, Duckett and Crawley gave England a flying start. They added 166 runs for the first wicket.

Then, Ravindra Jadeja broke the stand. He got Crawley to drive loosely, and KL Rahul took the catch. Soon after, Kamboj removed Duckett, who edged the ball to wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel. That dismissal also gave Kamboj his first Test wicket.

England in Strong Position

By the end of Day 2, England had reached 225/2. They now trail India by only 133 runs. India will hope to bounce back quickly on Day 3.