James Anderson, the England fast bowler, expects a backlash from India after they were convincingly beaten in the first Test at Lord's.
The 28 year old bowled England to a memorable 196-run win on Monday, returning figures of five for 65 and accounting for all three of India's star batsmen in a second innings total of 261 all out.
He anticipates India will come out fighting when the second Test gets under way at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, tomorrow.
"When any team gets beaten they generally come back stronger and have more fire in their belly," he said yesterday.
"All we can do is concentrate on our game, prepare well the next couple of days and concentrate on that first hour on Friday."
Anderson has put his first Test heroics aside and urged England to think only of the second match as they look to move closer to their goal of becoming the world's top ranked Test team.
"It was a great performance, a great team effort. We did really well to get the win. But that's gone now," said the Lancashire seam bowler. "We've got to hit the reset button and focus on Friday now.
"Each game is different. We can't rely on what's gone on in the past. It's a different game completely and we've got to just prepare well the next couple of days and hopefully hit the ground running.
"We've got to try to improve if we can. That's something we've prided ourselves on in the last couple of years - not resting on our laurels but trying to improve and be as good as we possibly can be."
The Lord's triumph put England 1-0 up in a four-match series that will see them leapfrog India as the top side in the world if they win by two matches or more.
On that target, Anderson said: "It's our end goal, but we've got to concentrate on each game and play as well as we can in each game and hope that will be the end product."
Like Anderson, the India opener, Abhinav Mukund, was looking forward to Trent Bridge rather than back at Lord's.
"We're all disappointed, but there's a lot of good things we can take from the previous game," he said.
"It's a four-match series. We'll take the positives and move on to the next game.
"Being the world No 1 team, the India team has conquered a lot of challenges on the way here. We're experienced enough. We've come here to take on this challenge."
This Test series is only the second for Mukund, who is playing in place of the injured Virender Sehwag at the top of the order, and the 21-year-old batsman is relishing being involved.
"To be part of this set-up, anyone who comes in as a new batsman will learn every day. Even in nets, there are so many people you look up to.
"A pat on the back from someone like Sachin [Tendulkar] does anyone's confidence the world of good. I've definitely improved over the last few months and I'm looking forward to keeping improving."
On deputising for the 87-Test veteran Sehwag, he said: "It's big boots to fill but I want to play my own game.
"I don't want to replace Sehwag. I just want to play how I want to play. If it comes off it's going to help the team."
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Picture of Joumblatt and Hariri breaking bread sets Twitter alight
Mr Joumblatt’s pessimism regarding the Lebanese political situation didn’t stop him from enjoying a cheerful dinner on Tuesday with several politicians including Mr Hariri.
Caretaker Culture Minister Ghattas Khoury tweeted a picture of the group sitting around a table at a discrete fish restaurant in Beirut’s upscale Sodeco area.
Mr Joumblatt told The National that the fish served at Kelly’s Fish lounge had been very good.
“They really enjoyed their time”, remembers the restaurant owner. “Mr Hariri was taking selfies with everybody”.
Mr Hariri and Mr Joumblatt often have dinner together to discuss recent political developments.
Mr Joumblatt was a close ally of Mr Hariri’s assassinated father, former prime minister Rafik Hariri. The pair were leading figures in the political grouping against the 15-year Syrian occupation of Lebanon that ended after mass protests in 2005 in the wake of Rafik Hariri’s murder. After the younger Hariri took over his father’s mantle in 2004, the relationship with Mr Joumblatt endured.
However, the pair have not always been so close. In the run-up to the election last year, Messrs Hariri and Joumblatt went months without speaking over an argument regarding the new proportional electoral law to be used for the first time. Mr Joumblatt worried that a proportional system, which Mr Hariri backed, would see the influence of his small sect diminished.
With so much of Lebanese politics agreed in late-night meetings behind closed doors, the media and pundits put significant weight on how regularly, where and with who senior politicians meet.
In the picture, alongside Messrs Khoury and Hariri were Mr Joumbatt and his wife Nora, PSP politician Wael Abou Faour and Egyptian ambassador to Lebanon Nazih el Nagari.
The picture of the dinner led to a flurry of excitement on Twitter that it signified an imminent government formation. “God willing, white smoke will rise soon and Walid Beik [a nickname for Walid Joumblatt] will accept to give up the minister of industry”, one user replied to the tweet. “Blessings to you…We would like you to form a cabinet”, wrote another.
The next few days will be crucial in determining whether these wishes come true.
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
The biog
Name: Dhabia Khalifa AlQubaisi
Age: 23
How she spends spare time: Playing with cats at the clinic and feeding them
Inspiration: My father. He’s a hard working man who has been through a lot to provide us with everything we need
Favourite book: Attitude, emotions and the psychology of cats by Dr Nicholes Dodman
Favourit film: 101 Dalmatians - it remind me of my childhood and began my love of dogs
Word of advice: By being patient, good things will come and by staying positive you’ll have the will to continue to love what you're doing
