‘As a bowling unit, we did our job’ – Ravindra Jadeja

England, after opting to bat, were going well for the most part, with Alastair Cook, playing in his final Test, putting on 60 and 73 with Keaton Jennings and Moeen Ali.

By the time Cook was felled for a fine 190-ball 71, England had a more than decent platform of 133, and it seemed likely to be a long day for India on a pitch that wasn’t doing much.

However, India’s pacemen combined to great effect, with Ishant Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah snuffing out the middle order – from 133/1, England became 134/4, with Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow both dismissed for nought.

With Ali dismissed by Ishant for a 170-ball 50 and Ben Stokes and Sam Curran unable to get going, it was India’s day. Jadeja, who sent back Jennings and Stokes to end at 2/57, lauded his partners in attack.

“It was very difficult,” he said. “You’re not getting any help from the wicket on the first day, and the balls you want to bowl, you’re not able to execute. This is a good wicket for batting. There’s nothing much in it (for bowlers). As the game progresses, it will get slower. It’s looking slightly dry.

“But we made a good comeback. We didn’t get a wicket in the second session, but we didn’t give away many runs either. As a bowling department, we all did our job.”

Cook was among those in admiration of the Indian pacemen – he reserved special praise for Mohammed Shami – and Jadeja admitted he was just trying to aid them by keeping the runs dry.

“I was just thinking that (Mohammed) Shami, Ishant and Bumrah were bowling well from the other end, they were beating the batsmen consistently and were bowling in good areas,” said Jadeja.

“I was just trying to ensure I didn’t give them boundaries either, because if the pressure is released from one end, it become easy for the batsmen.

“We believed that they’d panic and play false shots if the runs didn’t flow. And that’s exactly what happened.”