It was India who took the honours on the opening day of the first Test against England as the five-match series got underway in Birmingham on Wednesday.
The visitors were made to bowl first after England skipper Joe Root won the toss and they then went on to spoil the hosts’ party in their 1,000th Test. England were 285-9 when stumps were drawn at Edgbaston as India’s bowlers came roaring back into the match.
Here, we look at the key talking points from Wednesday’s play at Birmingham.
SPIN BRINGS INDIA THE FIRST BREAKTHROUGH
Overcast conditions and a tinge of grass covering on the Edgbaston pitch might have indicated that it was the pacers who would find most joy in the Test. That thinking was even echoed in Virat Kohli’s team selection as India went in with Ravichandran Ashwin featuring as the lone-spinner.
However, India’s pacers struggled to get their radar right in the opening session.
Spin gave India the breakthrough with Kohli’s decision to throw the ball to Ashwin early into England’s innings paying dividends. Alastair Cook fell to the off-spinner for the eighth time in his career as early as the ninth over of the innings. The England opener fell to a peach of an off-spinner that drifted towards the middle stump before spinning past the outside edge to knock the off stump.
To see an off-spinner do that on the first day of a Test in England was definitely an unusual sight.
Ashwin was the pick of India’s bowlers from the first day.
MOHAMMED SHAMI FINDS HIS RADAR WITH DOUBLE JOLT
After Cook’s early dismissal and the failure of Ajinkya Rahane to grab onto a chance at fourth slip, Keaton Jennings and Joe Root steadied the ship for England with a 72-run stand that threatened to take the game away from India.
Fortunately for the visitors, Shami found rhythm in the second session of play. The India pacer broke the threatening second–wicket stand with a short ball that Jennings somehow managed to direct back to his stumps.
In his very next over, Shami struck again for India with Dawid Malan being the victim this time. The England batsman was adjudged leg before wicket to an incoming delivery and even a review wasn’t enough to save him.
That double-strike pulled India right back into the game after it seemed to be slipping away from their grasp.
Shami’s double-strike pulled India back into the game.
ROOT AND BAIRSTOW POWER ENGLAND ON WITH CONTRASTING FIFTIES
After Shami’s double jolt had broken England’s momentum, Root and Jonny Bairstow got together and took the attack to India’s bowlers in contrasting styles.
While Root caressed his way to a big score, Bairstow was on a roll. The latter cut and drove with intent even as some of the edges flew past the slip fielders.
The pair put on century stand in no time with both the batsmen notching up their respective half-centuries. While Root’s strike-rate hovered around the 50 mark, Bairstow took just 72 deliveries to register his half-century. Root, meanwhile, continued his trend of performing against India with his half-century on Wednesday being his 12th in as many matches against the opponents.
Bairstow blazed his way to a 72-ball half-century.
ROOT’S RUN-OUT OPENS THE FLOODGATES
With Root and Bairstow going strong in the final session, England seemed to be headed towards taking the first day honours. All that changed in the blink of an eye when the England skipper was run-out by a direct hit from Virat Kohli. Bairstow called for a second run after tucking an Ashwin delivery towards mid-wicket. By the time Root could get back to safety at the non-striker’s end, Kohli had completed a sensational run-out with a direct hit.
It was poor judgment by the English pair as Root would have struggled to get home even without a direct hit. While Kohli cheekily celebrated the wicket by mimicking Root’s mic-drop pose, the England skipper’s conversion woes continued with his 80-run knock now being the 11th half-century he has scored on the bounce without registering a single ton.
His wicket opened up the floodgates for England with Bairstow joining him back in the pavilion after dragging an Umesh Yadav delivery on to his stumps. The procession turned into a collapse when Jos Buttler was dismissed for a duck by Ashwin who then went on to get the better of Ben Stokes too.
England collapsed once Kohli sent Root back.
