CHENNAI: Spinner Graeme Swann became only the second bowler in Test history to claim two wickets in his very first over on debut as England ripped through India's famed top-order batsmen to put themselves in the driver's seat in the first Test.
After restricting England to 316 in the first innings, the Indians lost the plot completely as a shocking batting collapse left them tottering at 155 for six at close on an eventful second day.
It was off-spinner Swann who started India's slide with his sensational twin blows which accounted for the prized scalps of Gautam Gambhir and Rahul Dravid and the Indians could never really recover from those early jolts. MS Dhoni (24) and Harbhajan Singh (13) were at the crease at stumps with India still trailing by 161 runs.
Debutant Swann thus became only the second bowler to take two wickets in his very first over in Test cricket. Richard Johnson of England was the first cricketer to achieve the feat against Zimbabwe in 2003. None of the Indian batsmen could hang around for long on a MA Chidambaram track which has started providing some assistance to the bowlers.
With the pitch expected to deteriorate further, the Indians will have to ensure that they don't concede a big first innings lead since they have to bat last. (AP Photo)