In the inaugural session of the first
Test match in Hyderabad, England concluded at 108/3 against Bharat at the lunch
break on Thursday. Jonny Bairstow (32*) and Joe Root (18*) held the crease as
the visitors aimed to build a solid foundation.
Opting to bat first after winning the
toss, England, led by Ben Stokes, reached the 100-run milestone in the 26th
over. The opening pair of Zak Crawley (20 runs from 40 balls) and Ben Duckett
(35 runs from 39 balls) provided a promising start with a 55-run partnership
before Ravichandran Ashwin made the breakthrough by dismissing Duckett in the
12th over.
Ravindra Jadeja struck again in the 15th
over, removing Ollie Pope (1 run from 11 balls), putting England in a
challenging position. In the 16th over, Ashwin claimed his second wicket by
dismissing Crawley.
Despite a sturdy partnership of 48 runs
between Root and Bairstow, Bharat struggled to break through in the first
session. Root managed one four, while Bairstow smashed five fours, showcasing
England’s resilience in the ‘Bazball’ battle.
Ravichandran Ashwin led the Indian
bowling attack with two crucial wickets, while Jadeja contributed with one
wicket. The pace duo of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj remained wicketless
in the initial session.
In a historic moment, the spin pair of
Jadeja and Ashwin reached a milestone, accumulating a total of 502 wickets
together, surpassing the previous record held by Anil Kumble and Harbhajan
Singh, who had 501 wickets in 54 matches.
Brief Score: England 108/3 (Joe Root
18*, Jonny Bairstow 32*, Ben Duckett 35; Ravichandran Ashwin 2-20, Ravindra
Jadeja 1-34) vs India.
