India could not have asked for a better day having lost the toss in the first Test of the series. First they got England all out for mere 183 courtesy some brilliant swing bowling on display. Thereafter Indian openers safely batted through the remaining 13 overs of the day. Pitch looked quite lively and the ball swung throughout the day for Indian bowlers. Only after the Indian first innings, can it be decided whether 183 is a competitive total on this pitch or not. England had 4 ducks in their innings with Joe Root being the only batsman who scored a half century. Root’s 72 run partnership with Jonny Bairstow was the only highlight of England batting. Bumrah was back to his old self where he swung the ball quite well at pace. He bagged 4 wickets while Shami took three. Shami too produced several unplayable deliveries with his both-way swing and seam.
England bat first
Joe Root won the toss and opted to bat first without any hesitation. England went with four pace bowlers, namely Anderson, Broad, Robinson and Sam Curran, with no slot for a regular spinner. India too went with four pacers dropping Ashwin from the side that played WTC final. Mayank’s injury paved the way for Rahul’s comeback at the top with Rohit. Siraj and Shardul justified their inclusion with their able support to Shami and Bumrah.
England lost Burns in the very first over as Bumrah bowled an inswinger that trapped him in front of the stumps. Crawley looked good for his 27 with four 4s before Siraj cut him in half with the one that nipped in to be caught behind. Shami started the post lunch session on the right note with Sibley’s wicket. He tried to flick Shami only to give an easy catch to Rahul at short mid wicket. Thereafter there was a good partnership of 72 runs between captain Root and Bairstow.
72 run stand b/w Root & Bairstow
Root looked quite good from the start of his innings. He played with soft hands that prevented the occasional edges to carry to slips. Also he did not commit himself on front foot giving him ample time to adjust from late swings. He drove quite well, both in front and behind the square and also scored plenty off the loose deliveries on pads. Root scored his 50th fifty off 89 balls with 9 boundaries. He got good support from Bairstow from the other end who scored 29 off 71 balls with 4 boundaries. However, in the last over before tea break, Shami’s inswinger went through his defence to strike his pads. Post tea, England lost the remaining six wickets adding just 45 more on the board.
Post tea collapse
Dan Lawrence was caught behind down the leg side for a duck off Shami in the first over after Tea. His successor Buttler was also caught behind for a duck off Bumrah but not before struggling for 18 deliveries. Kohli’s inspired bowling change saw Shardul pick two crucial wickets in the same over. First one was the huge wicket of Joe Root, pinned in front of stumps and then Robinson offered a dolly to Shami at mid on. India’s nemesis from last England tour, Sam Curran showed some resistance with his unbeaten 27 with four 4s and a six. But he lost partners from other end as Bumrah with his yorkers got Broad lbw and Anderson clean bowled.
Indian openers remain unbeaten at Stumps
After dismissing England for 183, India’s day got better as they ended it with 21 runs on board and all 10 wickets intact. India will resume the second day with both their openers, Rohit and Rahul, on individual scores of 9 each. England also lost a review on what turned out to be the last over of the day. An Ollie Robinson delivery that came in sharply, hit Sharma on pad. England reviewed the original not out decision only to see the ball miss leg stump on ball tracker.