IND VS ENG 1st Test 2024: England made a strong start following Joe Root’s four-fer.

IND VS ENG 1st Test 2024: Joe Root emerged as the strongest bowler for England in Playing XI that included three frontline spinners, bowling four to help bowl India out for 436. Ravindra Jadeja couldn’t carry on to reach three figures, but the home team grabbed a comfortable 190-run advantage. Ravichandran Ashwin then halted Zak Crawley in his tracks, but Ben Duckett kept England’s free-scoring start continuing sending them to lunch at 89/1 after only 15 overs.

At one point during the first hour of play, Root had six fielders surrounding him as he bowled to India’s number 11 Mohammed Siraj, aiming for a hat trick. That circumstance arose when he denied Ravindra Jadeja a three-figure score by catching him leg before on 87.

Batters Attempt to Extend India’s lead

Both Jadeja and Axar Patel had made cautious starts to the day in their attempt to extend India’s lead, with Root battling the outside edge against both left-handed batsmen. On the wicket ball, he convinced the umpire to rule in his favor as Jadeja attempted to defend on the front foot and missed the line.

The Indian batsman reviewed the call, only to get dismissed based on the umpire’s decision. One freeze frame on the outer edge showed the ball right between the bat and the pad, but the third umpire couldn’t tell what hit first.

Jasprit Bumrah struck first, an off-spinner’s delight from around the stumps that pitched on off and spun in to smash past the enormous bat-pad gap and slam into the stumps. Siraj denied the “part-timer” a hat-trick and fifer, but Rehan Ahmed quickly cleaned up Axar with a delivery that spun and stayed low, foreshadowing what the England batsmen would face against India’s spinners.

IND VS ENG 1st Test 2024: Rohit’s Plan to Stop English Players

Rohit Sharma sent in Ashwin in the second over, and Crawley answered with a reverse sweep. He took his proactiveness out on Axar Patel, who also bowled early in the innings and went for runs. Crawley handed him the ball and unleashed the reverse sweep as England flew in the second innings. Ashwin experimented with several variants, bowling faster and fuller to avoid the temptation to sweep, switching sides from round to round and back again, until defeating the opener in the tenth over. Ashwin moved his length back and delivered slower, luring Crawley into nicking one to Rohit Sharma at first slip.

The England opener may have defended forward in preparation for greater turn, but the ball straightened slightly and went off the outside edge.

The wicket did not alter the course of England’s innings, as Ollie Pope joined Duckett and erased over half of India’s advantage before the end of the session.

IND VS ENG 1st Test 2024 Brief scores:

England 246 & 89/1 (Ben Duckett 38; Ravichandran Ashwin 1-36) trail India 436 (Ravindra Jadeja 87, KL Rahul 86; Joe Root 4/79) by 101 runs