Hyderabad: On the opening day of the highly anticipated IND vs ENG Test at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, Indian spinners rattled the visitor’s innings for 246 runs while the dynamic batting duo, Yashasvi Jaiswal (76*) and Rohit Sharma (24), provided a solid start in their first innings. However, the early promise was halted as Rohit Sharma fell prey to Jack Leach. Shubman Gill joined Jaiswal, and together they concluded the day with India at 119/1, trailing England by 127 runs.
Earlier in the day, England, after winning the toss and electing to bat first, faced a formidable Indian bowling attack. Indian spin trio struck at regular intervals to capture 8 wickets while Jasprit Bumrah castled 2 in the England innings to restrict them for a paltry score. With Bumrah’s final wicket of Ben Stokes limited England to 246 runs. Prior to that, Ravindra Jadeja’s impressive three-wicket haul restricted England to 215/8 during the Tea break.
England’s innings began positively with Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow’s partnership taking them to 108/3 at lunch. However, the spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja struck back, reducing England to 60/3. Ashwin claimed the wickets of Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett, while Jadeja sent Ollie Pope back to the pavilion.
India’s spin trio, Ashwin, Jadeja, and Axar Patel, shared eight wickets among them. Captain Ben Stokes managed to guide England to a respectable total of 246, but their hopes of making early inroads before stumps were thwarted by Yashasvi Jaiswal’s explosive unbeaten half-century.
Jaiswal’s aggressive innings, comprising 76 runs off just 70 balls, steered India to a commanding position at 119/1 by the end of the day. England’s bowling unit struggled, with spinner Tom Hartley conceding 51 runs off his first six overs. Although Jack Leach managed to break the opening stand by dismissing Rohit Sharma, Jaiswal’s dominant display has put India in a favorable position.
As the action unfolds on the second day, England, having exhausted all three of their reviews in desperation, may rue missed opportunities, while India is poised to take the lead in what promises to be a thrilling encounter on Friday.