It was just the second over of the Test when Stuart Broad dived for the ball only for his toe to slip the wrong way, damaging the tendon. He could simply have walked away and no one would have blamed him
Stuart Broad celebrates a wicket against India yesterday. Pic/PTI
Stuart Broad celebrates a wicket against India yesterday. Pic/PTI
Visakhapatnam: It was just the second over of the Test when Stuart Broad dived for the ball only for his toe to slip the wrong way, damaging the tendon. He could simply have walked away and no one would have blamed him.
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But not only did he continue bowling in that innings, he bowled in the second innings too, picking up four crucial wickets that ensured that India wouldn't run away with the Test, not just yet.
"If I do my tendon in the second over I have got no option but to keep playing or you stuff the team," was how he puts it.
Broad didn't simply run in and bowl, he did so with purpose and a plan, one that Zaheer Khan, the former India seamer, helped Broad with.
"Zaheer Khan (in the 2012-13 series) was very good at bowling off pace, then surprising you with a quick inswinger. Jimmy (Anderson) and I have talked about what Zaheer did. We got into a routine of getting a batsman to face slower pace, then a quicker one on the stumps," revealed Broad.
"It's the realisation of when to use certain skills. Today, I felt my leg-cutter was gripping a good amount — half bat width which brought the edge into play," he added, explaining his success.
Did he think England have a chance to draw the game? "Everyone believes it can be done. When you watch the way we've batted this evening, 60 overs for two wickets and only got another 90 to go... break it down to small partnerships: 15 minutes, 15 balls, five runs," was his hope-filled reply.
"We had a bad hour and a half at the end of Day Two. Since then, we've shown a lot of character which is all Cooky's (Alastair Cook) asked for. We are 300 behind today, it would have been very easy to throw in the towel, but we put a lot of pressure on the Indians. Early wickets, not letting them control the over-rate, not letting them declare — all this led into us putting in a sold batting display," added Broad.
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