Team India stamped its authority, dominating the Day 1 play with both bat and ball. Rohit Sharma-led men showcased their batting prowess, finishing the day at 119/1, trailing England by 127 runs. Young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal played an explosive unbeaten inning of 70-ball 76, giving England their own medicine of ’Bazball’. Shubman Gill gave Jaiswal good support with an unbeaten on 14. Earlier, Indian spinners dominated the proceedings and bowled out England for 246. Senior spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja picked up three wickets each.

Ben Stokes’ decision to bat first seemed promising initially, with the opening pair of Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett adding 55 runs for the first wicket. But Indian bowlers rattled through the England batting line-up with a disciplined bowling attack. Ashwin gave the initial breakthrough by trapping Duckett LBW for 35. Jadeja got the better of Ollie Pope (1) while Ashwin got rid of Crawley (20) in the very next over.

Experienced batters Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow showed some resilience, adding 61 runs for the fourth wicket. Axar Patel brought India back into the game by cleaning up Bairstow (27). Very shortly, Jadeja got the important wicket of Root (29). However, England captain Stokes stole the limelight with a gritty knock of 70 before Jasprit Bumrah bowled him out with a brilliant delivery. Bumrah and Axar bagged two wickets each.

In reply, India had a solid start as Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma added 80 runs in 12 overs. Jack Leach made the crucial breakthrough by dismissing India’s skipper Rohit for 24. India is in a good position and its batters would look to score more runs, helping their side to take a healthy lead in the first innings.