India finished the day on 119/1 with Yashasvi Jaiswal unbeaten on 76 after England was bowled out for 246 in 64.3 overs with R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja sharing six wickets among themselves.
The first show on the first day of the opening Test was each about how Bazball would open its box office in India. Ben Stokes was the lone megahit as the rest capitulated on a pitch that backed spin and England was sailed out for 246 in64.3 overs, with R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja participating six lattices among themselves.
In reply, Indian openers Rohit Sharma (24 off 27 balls) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (76 not out out 70 balls) blazed down, with the southpaw smashing a brilliant unbeaten half- century as India finished the day on119/1 in 23 overs at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad on Thursday.
The rumbustious home crowd was on its bases all day, with Ashwin, Jadeja and Axar Patel exploiting the conditions and laying a spin trap. While Ashwin and Jadeja continued their emotional show, Axar and Jasprit Bumrah reckoned for two lattices each. After the bowling show, it was the openers who handed the final kick with a brilliant 80- run stage in 74 balls.
Rohit and Jaiswal were off the blocks in a flash, with both openers using their bases well to negotiate the baits while using the depth of the crinkle to deal with the pace of Mark Wood. Jaiswal was off the mark with a boundary — a clip over backward square leg — and also ate Tom Hartley into the attack with a six over deep mid-wicket ahead slog- sweeping the debutant for the alternate six over deep square leg. There was no respite for Hartley as Jaiswal, with a pull over the backward square leg region and a drive through the redundant cover region, got India off to a rollicking launch.
Rohit warmed up with a incurious film through the mid-wicket, taking India once 50 in just 39 deliveries. With the bowlers erring in line and length, Jaiswal kept dealing in boundaries, reaching his half- century in just 47 balls. India was poised to end the day with both batter carrying their batons through. still, Rohit decomposed while trying to unhinge Leach but India took the opening day honours.
Before the launch of the series, a lot of talk revolved around England’s exhilarating Bazball approach. Down from home, Bazball travelled to three locales — South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia and reaped success on lattices where there was little help to baits. In Asian jaunts before the stint of India, England blanked Pakistan 3- 0, but those triumphs came on flat lattices.
The new question bank in their kitbags was how to play on Indian pitches. Stokes and head trainer Brendon McCullum had to change strategy to keep their hit track on the record shelf in India. still, so far, only Stokes could unleash the key to scoring runs on Indian shells with an 88- ball 70.
Stokes reached his fifty with a six off Jadeja, and during his 122- nanosecond stay at the crinkle, the England captain hit six boundaries and three sixes. The England captain took on the Indian attack after he was dropped by KS Bharat off Ashwin while fur on 43. Stokes cashed in on the occasion and went on to score the first half- century of the series, but was castled by Bumrah.
England’s opening exchanges showed promising signs of riding the Indian attack, as Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley forged a fifty- run opening stage and showed no signs of jitters. Duckett and Crawley attacked the Indian bellwethers and dealt in boundaries.
Still, the meltdown started when spin was introduced as Ashwin trapped Duckett. The batter reviewed the call but the on- field decision was upheld.
The preface of Jadeja saw India hurdle on the opposition as the left- arm incentive ended Ollie Pope’s jittery innings with the batter pushing at a classical left- arm incentive’s delivery where the ball came with an angle and uncurled after pitching. Pope played for the turn but ended up getting a nick and Rohit took a good catch at first slip.
When England was aiming for a reanimation, mayhem struck as it lost three lattices for just five runs in 21 balls as Ashwin removed Crawley to hand India control.
Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow joined hands after the fall of Pope and forged a 61- run stage for the fourth gate to stabilise the innings. There was turn but not vicious one, as Jadeja kept it refuse to refuse, Axar drew his length back a bit and reckoned further on flight, and Ashwin stuck to his strength and sailed his orthodox off- spin, not trying too numerous variations.
India attacked with spin and Axar, with a peach of a delivery, castled Bairstow as the batter played the wrong line after the ball pitched on middle and turned to crash onto the top of the off refuse.
What would hang England was the manner in which Root walked out after falling to a top- edge. The former commander employed the reach shot right from the launch, a shot he rehearsed in the nets but was unproductive as he was castled by a 17- time left wing- arm net bowler. In a analogous fashion, this time Jadeja had the last laugh as the reach shot redounded in England losing its stylish batter, caught at short fine leg by Bumrah.
Foakes returned to the side with a lot of prospects but couldn’t live up to it as Axar removed the wicketkeeper- batter. Stokes, still, was recalcitrant as he sutured precious hookups with Tom Hartley (38 off 39) and also a 41- run stage with Mark Wood to save England the blushes. Know More Latest Cricket News…
