India is in prime position to win the IND vs ENG 3rd Test at the end of the first day’s play in Rajkot. With the series tied at 1-1, it was essential for both sides to show their dominance on the opening day. While England took the charge in the first session, reducing India to 33/3 in just 8.5 overs, the remainder of the day belonged to India.
Rohit & Jadeja masterclass and Sarfaraz Khan’s debut to remember
Day 1 was all about Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja. The duo showed England the true potential of the current Indian team. After being reduced to 33/3, the Indian skipper and the world’s No. 1 Test all-rounder put on a mammoth 204-run stand.
Skipper Rohit Sharma had gotten starts in the previous matches but had failed to convert them. The opener was given a chance when Joe Root dropped the batter in the first slip. This reprieve at 27 ignited Rohit as he smacked every English bowler from there on, scoring an imperious 131 off 196 balls.
Ravindra Jadeja, on the other hand, played a chanceless inning. Returning from a hamstring injury, the all-rounder slammed his 4th Test ton and his second one at his home ground, the newly renamed Rajkot Stadium.
Debutant Sarfaraz Khan also joined the party by scoring the second-fastest fifty (48 balls) by an Indian on debut. The spin expert bashed Joe Root, Tom Hartley, and Rehan Ahmed and didn’t hesitate to charge James Anderson. His third session burst saw India go past 300 with ease.
Mark Wood: The only shining light for England
Apart from express pacer Mark Wood and James Anderson to some extent, no English bowler impressed. On a slow Rajkot pitch, Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley, and part-timer Joe Root were not up to the mark. While Wood claimed the prized wickets of Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Shubman Gill, the rest combined claimed one wicket.
The biggest worry for Ben Stokes was the fifth bowler or lack thereof. With Root as the fifth bowling option, they couldn’t put enough pressure on the Indian batters despite having them 33/3.
Even Wood went for over 4 runs an over, and Root had an economy of over 5. Anderson was the only bowler who offered control, but the veteran pacer went wicketless.
IND vs ENG 3rd Test, Day 1: Brief Scores
India: 326/5 (Rohit Sharma 131, Ravindra Jadeja 110*; Mark Wood 3/69, Tom Hartley 1/81)
IND vs ENG 3rd Test: Playing XIs
India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.
England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (c), Ben Foakes (wk), Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley, Mark Wood, James Anderson.
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