England throw away platform to hand India advantage
There was intrigue even before play began, with India’s team selection engendering much debate. Cheteshwar Pujara and Kuldeep Yadav were the two to miss out, with KL Rahul and an extra seamer preferred in their places.
The decision for both sides to pick just one spinner soon looked incorrect; having almost battled through the opening hour, and seen Keaton Jennings receive a life when dropped at slip, Alastair Cook was bowled by a beauty from Ravichandran Ashwin which turned significantly, especially considering it was the opening morning of a Test match in England.
Joe Root and Jennings made it to lunch intact, but soon after the latter saw his luck cancelled out with an unfortunate dismissal, defending down into the ground only for the ball to trickle onto his stumps. Dawid Malan followed soon after, pinned on the back leg by Mohammed Shami, who generated impressive heat and no little swing.
Root and Jonny Bairstow rebuilt for England, the former playing steadily and the latter aggressively. They had batted England into the ascendancy when the day’s pivotal moment came, Root returning for a second that was never on, and Virat Kohli finding the direct hit from mid-wicket.
From 216/3, England slumped. Bairstow was next to go, chopping on to Umesh Yadav trying one shot too many, while Jos Buttler was also the victim of another fine piece of bowling from Ashwin, who followed a non-turner with one that gripped slightly, enticing him to play across the line and striking him in front.
Ben Stokes played with caution, a trait he is not normally associated with, and his dismissal too was unusually timid, a loopy leading edge straight back to the excellent Ashwin. That wicket came with less than six overs until the new ball was due, but with Ashwin working his magic and the ball still swinging, India chose not to take it immediately.
The decision paid off when Ishant Sharma bent one into Adil Rashid’s pads and had him plumb LBW, while it was swing from Ashwin which did for Stuart Broad, coming in a distance and striking him in front.
Sam Curran, who played some lovely strokes in his unbeaten 24, was fortunate to survive the day, dropped by Dinesh Karthik from the penultimate delivery. But that couldn’t take the shine off an excellent day for the tourists, in which they battled back and undoubtedly ended on top.
India will look to restrict England to less than 300 and be close to a lead by the close of the second day’s play. Curran and James Anderson will have to try and stretch England’s total for all they are worth. But how they go with the ball will be what everyone is desperate to see.