India Vs England:
On the first day of the opening test was all about how Bazball would do in India with spin friendly conditions. Ben Stokes was the only hit as England’s inning wrapped up for 246 in 64.3 overs on a spin-friendly pitch, with Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja bagging three wickets each.
In response, Indian openers Rohit Sharma (24 runs off 27 balls) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (76 runs off 70 balls) had a magnificent opening partnership of 80 runs. India ended the day on 119/1 in 23 overs at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad on Thursday.
The Indian spin trio of Ashwin, Jadeja, and Akshar Patel capitalized on the spin-friendly conditions, causing trouble for England. While Ashwin and Jadeja showcased their class, Axar and Jasprit Bumrah also took two wickets each. Following a strong bowling performance, it was the Indian opening pair who provided the final kick, especially Jaiswal who came all guns blazing.
Rohit and Jaiswal put up a batting show
Rohit and Jaiswal set the tone for the innings, with both the openers using their feet well against spin bowling. Jaiswal was off the mark with a boundary where he clipped the ball over backward square. Debutant Tom Heartly was welcomed with a six over deep mid-wicket, Heartly had a tough debut today as bowler as he ended his day with 9 overs for 63 runs and an empty wicket column. Rohit also showed his during his short stay at the crease by making 24 runs on 27 balls, before giving his wicket to Jack Leach while trying to up the scoring rate.
Bazball in India vs England
Before the series began, a lot of talk revolved around England’s Bazball approach. Having triumphed in South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia, but the wickets there had little to offer for spinners. However, the challenge of Indian pitches posed a new question.
Stokes, the only flag bearer for England in the first inning scored 70 runs in 88 balls, Stokes completed his half-century with a six against Jadeja but fell victim to Bumrah after a 122-minute stay.
Despite the initial partnership of 50 runs between Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley, the Indian spinners dominated, with Ashwin trapping Duckett in front of the wicket and Crawley was caught by Siraj brilliantly of Ashwin’s bowling.
Ollie Pope’s stay on the wicket was also cut short by Jadeja, he was caught by Rohit in slip only after scoring 1 run. At one point England was 60 runs for the loss of 3 wickets.
Root and Bairstow tried to stabilize, and they had partnership of 61 runs, but Axar Patel brought India back into the game when Bairstow was cleaned bowled by him, and Joe Root fell to Jadeja while trying to play a sweep shot.
Stokes remained aggressive, forming crucial partnerships with Hartley and Wood, eventually saving England from a total collapse. The day ended with India holding the upper hand, thanks to the brilliant display by their spinners and the resilient batting performance led by Jaiswal.
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