Live Report - India vs England, 1st Test, Hyderabad
Day 1 - Session 3: India trail by 131 runs.
Current RR: 5.18
• Min. Ov. Rem: 1.5
• Last 10 ov (RR): 35/1 (3.50)
113 Number of legal deliveries it has taken India to get to 100. They have lost just the one wicket
5 Number of times Jack Leach has got Rohit Sharma out in Test cricket for 95 runs. That's in seven innings that Leach has bowled to Rohit in. This time he has been lured into a big shot by the aggressive field, and Leach has nicely shortened his length looking at Rohit jump out of the crease. India 80 for 1.
44m ago
JaisBall runs wils47 Number of balls it has taken Yashasvi Jaiswal to get to his fifty. He has been ruthless on any error in length after his first two swept sixes. India 77 for 0 in 11.1 overs.
39 Number of balls it has taken India to get to 50. They haven't lost a wicket. The vast difference in the quality of spinners on both sides is showing already. This is India's fourth-quickest fifty in Tests but the fastest in their first innings of a match.
We were promised Bazball, which did arrive in spurts, but Yashasvi Jaiswal has brought a much more dramatic intent. First ball of the innings: four. first ball of spin: six. Followed by another six in the second over. India 19 for 0 in two overs.
1h ago
Bumrah ends the Stokes specialIt takes a special skill to get a 65-over-old ball to seam a touch against the angle from around the wicket and hit the top of middle especially when Ben Stokes is hardly hitting anything off anything but the middle of the bat. That ends England's inning sat 246, which is 91 runs after they lost their seventh wicket. India will still take a 246 all out because this is not a surface as spiteful as we have seen some in India in recent times. A simple equation for India: bat till stumps tomorrow and the Test could be theirs. Twenty-three overs to go today.
Three each for Ashwin and Jadeja, two each for Bumrah and Axar.
3 Number of times, including this, that Ben Stokes and Jack Leach have batted together
1h ago
Jadeja's costliest analysis88 Number of runs given away by Jadeja in 18 overs, which gives him an economy of 4.88, his worst in innings that he has bowled 10 overs or more
No. 493 for R Ashwin as he squeezes under Mark Wood's slog-sweep to leave England at 234 for 9, bringing together Ben Stokes and Jack Leach. This has also made sure Ravindra Jadeja has been taken out of the attack with figures of 18-4-88-3. Jasprit Bumrah is back with one slip and eight deep fielders
2h ago
Stokes gets to fiftyBen Stokes displays why he is such a dangerous batter. With seven fielders on the fence, he nonchalantly clears Ravindra Jadeja in the second over after tea. That brings up his fifty followed by a pulled six next ball. How crucial then is the drop first ball after tea when R Ashwin could get have got Stokes out had KS Bharat caught him. England 232 for 8 now
England add 107 for 5 in 31 overs in the middle session. Despite the comeback by Ben Stokes and the tail, India will be happy with that session. Still both sides will know anything is possible till Stokes is there. So a tense period will follow after tea. At tea, England 215 for 8. Jadeja has three, Ashwin and Axar two each, Bumrah one.
2h ago
England keep fightingRavindra Jadeja has gone at over four an over today, which is a rare sight. Ben Stokes has now taken up the striking role, hitting him down the ground, pulling him, and then revers-esweeping him in front of square. He is on 43 now, and England 210 for 8.
2h ago
Jadeja ends Hartley's cameoTom Hartley on debut has finally brought Bazball along against spin bowling, scoring 23 off 24 runs, including a slog-swept six against R Ashwin's turn. However, Ravindra Jadeja has finally got a full ball to turn past the inside edge and take the leg stump. England are 193 for 8, looking much better than they were looking at 155 for 7.
3h ago
The Bumrah slower ballWhen could you last say this about an Indian pitch: a slower ball from a fast bowler has taken the inside catch and carried comfortably to the keeper? It has. And who else but the god of fast bowling, Jasprit Bumrah. Vicious turn on this slower offcutter. Rehan Ahmed pushes at it away from the body, and the inside edge is snapped by KS Bharat. England 155 for 7.
3h ago
Now they are checking itBen Stokes is involved, an overthrow has gone for four, Stokes thinks he has got six, but hey now the umpires are using the third umpire to check if the batters had crossed each other during their second run when the throw began. They hadn't. So they get only five. England 154 for 6.
During the World Cup final of 2019, they were not allowed to check because only dismissals and boundary checks could be checked.
34 Number of runs England have scored in 17 overs since lunch for the loss of three wickets. That is their slowest run-rate in a session in which they have batted a minimum of 100 balls in the Bazball era
England came out roaring, scoring 41 runs in eight overs of pace, but the famous Bazball has been tamed by spin on day one of the series. Only 96 runs have come in 34.5 overs since spin was introduced. The last of those balls is a wicket for Axar Patel, who has got batters forward-defending, and when one turns, it takes Ben Foakes' edge. England are 137 for 6. All three spinners have two wickets each.
It is perhaps reinforcement that when the bowling is good and the conditions are helpful, there is only so much batters can do no matter what approach they use.
4h ago
The sweep gets RootBoth Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow have been sweeping on line: anything outside off, and they get the broom out. That possibly made R Ashwin bowl too full in the little period before lunch. Post lunch, Root has continued to do that against the two left-arm spinners. If you keep sweeping just on line, though, you are bound to go down to a ball too full or too short. This one is too short, and the bounce takes a healthy top edge for short fine to take. England 125 for 5. Ravindra Jadeja has two, Axar Patel one, and R Ashwin two.
3 Number of times Axar Patel has dismissed Jonny Bairstow in Tests for just 22 runs in 57 balls
Twenty minutes into the middle session, Axar Patel produces an absolutely unplayable delivery. On a length you can neither drive nor go back to. So Jonny Bairstow has to defend in front of his body. The ball pitches middle, breaks past the outside edge, and hits top of off. Not much you can do. England 121 for 4. Ben Stokes walks out with long-on and deep midwicket in place.
4h ago
Welcome to session twoIndia begin the session with left-arm spin at both ends, but with changed ends. That means Ravindra Jadeja has gone back to the end he started from. Axar Patel takes the end R Ashwin bowled from.
6 Number of leaves in those 28 overs. We have ball-y-ball records for 105 Tests in India. This is the fewest leaves in the first 28 overs of a Test in India.
5h ago
A session of three partsEngland go to lunch at 108 for 3 in 28 overs. They played and missed against the quicks, but they also played some cracking shots to score 41 for 0 in eight overs. Then R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja pulled thingd back, taking three wickets in the process. The next eight overs produced 3 for 20. Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow have since looked comfortable and have added 48 unbeaten runs in 12.5 overs. Neither side will be too dissatisfied with that session.
5 Number of leaves in the first 23 overs. Since 2016, there hasn't been a first innings in India with fewer leaves in the first 23 overs.
5h ago
Alagappan Muthu brings the atmosphereHow does this Test feel live in Hyderabad? Here is Alagappan Muthu with his impressions.
Ball pinging off bat.
The oohs and aahs.
“Bumrah! Bumrah!”
“Indiaaaa! Indiaaa!”
The first half hour in Hyderabad was noisy (Partly because the stadium staff must have stuck mics around the ground and connected it to a bunch of loudspeakers)
The Barmy Army was at the stands over midwicket when the first over was bowled, bursting into song as Zak Crawley, perhaps suffering a bit of an identity crisis, actually left the first ball from Jasprit Bumrah. Since that first over though, England’s openers have been loving the new ball coming onto the bat. Rohit Sharma has even had to push Ravindra Jadeja at point almost three fourth of the way to the boundary to stop those runs leaking.
In between all this, Mohammed Siraj, in the second over, while he was searching for swing that wasn’t there, pitched a ball in that roughed up area on a spinner’s good length and it decked a mile past the leading edge of the right-hander’s bat.
England are doing real well, taking every opportunity to score against the kind of bowling that is less likely to pose problem
Rohit turned to spin a little past the first half hour and Ravindra Jadeja's first six balls produced four false shots. There were 12 in eight overs that had gone by.
India have had to be pragmatic. They started with close-in fields. England got away fast. Then Rohit pulled back. He focused on control. Even R Ashwin, who left cover wide open for Ben Duckett on the 2016-17 tour, had that gap plugged – although it may have been insurance for the reverse sweep. There were three men on the legside boundary for Zak Crawley, and also three men around the bat.
India understood that they could not fall behind too far too early and thanks to their spinners they haven’t.
3 Number of wickets since spin was introduced. They motored along to 41 for 0 in eight overs of pace followed by 20 for 3 in the next eight overs of spin
5h ago
Ashwin gets CrawleyA ring of boos from the travelling England fans as Zak Crawley is given out caught in a low catch. He steps out to Ashwin, whose length is spot on, so he can't really control it. Checks his drive, and ends up hitting uppishily to mid-off. Siraj takes it low, claims it immediately. It is very difficult to get a close-in angle but whatever angles are available shown the ball going into the fingers. It is not possible to prove it neyong reasonable doubt but then third umpire is sifficiently satisfied. England 60 for 3 now.
6h ago
Jadeja not far behindAgain the Indian spinners have settled into the wonderful length where they have got the batters defending in front of their bodies. The reverse-sweep and the sweep have been blocked. The length is immaculate. And then the ball turns to take Ollie Pope's edge through to Rohit Sharma at first slip. It is 58 for 2 now. Time for some Joe Root
England are 58 for 1 at drinks. They will be reasonably happy with their work, but the ball is turning, and the spinners are getting into their work. This could still turn out to be anybody's session.
6h ago
Ashwin breaks throughIn his second over, R Ashwin has struck. He has bowled the in-between length where Ben Duckett has to play the forward defensive well in front of his body. This is where you can't adjust to variations off the surface. This is an intended offbreak but it lands more on the leather than the seam and goes straight on to beat the bat and trap him in front. England 55 for 1. Can Ashwin keep making them defend in front of their body?
Two sweeps for fours in Jadeja's second over
It has taken India nine overs to bowl their first maiden. not surprisingly, it is a spinner who has bowled it. Ravindra Jadeja has also got appreciable turn. England 41 for 0 in nine overs.
Half an hour into the Test, and both sides can pull out a highlights package and be proud of it. India have gone past the bat often, 11 times to be precise, in seven overs. Any of those could have produced an edge. England, on the other hand, have smacked six crisp boundaries, all off the middle of the bat. It is 32 for 0 in seven overs. The leave and the forward defensive have been eliminated. This is Bazball. These are good batting conditions. England have made their moves. India's response awaited. They haven't turned defensive, they haven't yet gone to spin.
7h ago
Fireworks in over 2Mohammed Siraj started too straight, and was picked away for two boundaries by Zak Crawley. Then Siraj corrected his line, and went past the bat three times out of the remaining four balls.
7h ago
It starts with a leaveJasprit Bumrah charges in, bowls a lovely outswinger in the channel outside off but short of the driving length. Zak Crawley lets it go. The Test series underway.
What will happen first ball?
259 votes
Bumrah to Crawley, four runs
7h ago
England bat first, India pick Axar and BharatBen Stokes has won the big toss and elected to bat first. This is their chance to get some runs before the ball starts turning. However, they will be up against Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, who are no pushovers. Will Zak Crawley get a boundary first ball?
India have gone safe with their selection. Axar Patel is the third spinner although Rohit Sharma said it was very difficult to leave Kuldeep Yadav out. Anil Kumble says this is not a rank turner so perhaps it was the best time to play Kuldeep but the absence of Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant probably left India opting for the spinner who also bats. KS Bharat is the wicketkeeper.
A debutant for England in Tom Hartley, the 6'4" left-arm spinner. Legspinner Rehan Ahmed is only in his second Test. Mark Wood is the only quick. They named the XI a day before the Test.
England Z Crawley, BM Duckett, OJ Pope, JE Root, BA Stokes*, JM Bairstow, BT Foakes†, Rehan Ahmed, TW Hartley, MA Wood, MJ Leach
India RG Sharma*, YBK Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, SS Iyer, KL Rahul, KS Bharat†, RA Jadeja, AR Patel, R Ashwin, JJ Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
It is a dry pitch. The edges are drier. The middle is greener. At one end the dry patch is closer to the bat so that might not be the end to bowl spin from. Well, expect the captain winning the toss to bat first.
7h ago
Welcome back. Test cricketTest cricket. For the first time in 10 months in India. On a pleasant January morning in southern India while the north shivers in the biting cold. Full of excitement and anticipation. A new challenger is in town promising a new, chaotic brand of play. Take out the niceties. More attacking shots, more direct lines, more innovative fields.
There will be lots of spin as England’s XI, announced a day before the Test, suggests: three spinners plus Joe Root, and only one fast bowler. India will surely name three in their XI in a bit. R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja plus either Axar Patel or Kuldeep Yadav.
Virat Kohli and Harry Brook are missing because of personal reasons. We wish them all the luck and peace.
Given how naturally attacking India’s batters are, don’t expect slow burn from them either. Rohit Sharma, averaging about two sixes per match in India, will not shy away from taking the aerial route. The others will take the lead from there.
While we wait for the toss, here is some reading for you.
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