1st Test: India bowl out England (246) on Day 1
India bowled out England for 246 in the first innings of the 1st Test at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad. The visitors had a 55-run opening stand after electing to bat. Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja ruled the roost thereafter. Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root added 61 runs before England suffered a collapse. A 70-run brisk knock from Ben Stokes powered England eventually.
A flying start for England
England openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett came out with their BazBall approach, smashing five boundaries in the first 21 balls. Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj bowled the first eight overs which produced as many boundaries. Jadeja and Ashwin finally came in to the attack, with England completing fifty in 11 overs. Ashwin broke the partnership in his second over, dismissing Duckett (35).
Root, Bairstow take England forward; Axar breaks partnership
After a few overs, Jadeja and Ashwin dismissed Ollie Pope and Crawley, respectively. England were down to 60/3 from 55/0. Root and Bairstow then neutralized the threat by tackling spin. They moved their feet well and had a nonchalant approach. The duo remained unbeaten as England were 108/3 at lunch. Axar Patel got rid of Bairstow (37) a few overs into the second session.
Most runs in India-England Tests
Root looked comfortable in his 60-ball 29. His knock included just one four. Besides, the England batter added another feather to his cap in Test cricket. He surpassed Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar to become the highest run-scorer in India-England Test matches. Master Blaster Tendulkar smashed 2,535 runs from 32 Tests against England at a remarkable average of 51.73.
Root equals Ricky Ponting
Root also equaled Australian maestro Ricky Ponting's record for scoring the most runs against India in Test cricket. Both Root and Ponting are now tied at 2,555 runs. The former is likely to break this tie in the 2nd innings.
Stokes plays a captain's knock
Ben Foakes and Rehan Ahmed departed in quick succession following the Bairstow-Root stand. While Stokes held one end, debutant Tom Hartley smashed a quickfire 23. The former was at his best in the final session, taking the Indian bowlers to the cleaners. He took England past 240 and smashed an 88-ball 70 (6 fours and 3 sixes). It was his 31st Test half-century.
What about the bowlers?
Ashwin was the pick of India's bowlers in the 1st innings. He took three wickets for just 68 runs in 21 overs, including a maiden. His compatriot Jadeja also took three wickets but conceded runs toward the innings' end. He gave away 88 runs in 18 overs (four maidens). Axar and Jasprit Bumrah scalped two wickets each.
Most wickets by a pair in Tests
Ashwin and Jadeja became only the second Indian pair to take 500 wickets (combined) in Test cricket. Former spinners Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh took 501 Test wickets together in 54 matches. Notably, Ashwin and Jadeja went past the former duo, crossing the 501-wicket mark. Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh snapped up 474 wickets while featuring in 59 Tests together.
Other notable highlights from the innings
Axar ended Bairstow and Root's bid to take the game away from India by removing the former. He knocked over Bairstow with a ripper, perhaps the ball of the innings. Stokes and Rehan then propelled England past 150. That's when India gained from Bumrah's magic. He bowled a cutter to dismiss Rehan. Bumrah also removed Stokes to end England's innings.
