Root, Moeen make it England’s day
On a manic, unpredictable day in India and other parts of the world, Joe Root’s calm yet well-paced 124, along with an equally assured unbeaten 99 from Moeen Ali. got England’s five-Test tour of India off to a brilliant start on Wednesday (November 9), the first day of the first Testin Rajkot.
At the end of an old-fashioned day of ‘win the toss and pile on the runs’, England was in a strong position at 311 for 4, Ben Stokes (19) giving Mooen good company.
It was almost an unfamiliar day for India’s bowlers, who haven’t had to bowl first on such a flat track for a long time.
No overseas batsman has scored a Test century in India since Michael Clarke in February 2013. That England already has one centurion and another within touching distance at the very beginning of its tour should please it. Root and Moeen came together when England was in a bit of bother at 102 for 3, but ensured it would end on top with a 179-run stand that came at a rate of 3.7.
The day was all about Root and Moeen, but it was made possible thanks to Alastair Cook’s correct call early in the day that resulted in Virat Kohli losing a toss for the first time in seven matches at home. The pitch was flat, and it was advantage England.
It was the first time in six Tests that India was fielding first at home, and it showed almost immediately. Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav got into good rhythms, but within six overs, India dropped three catches in the slip cordon. Cook was put down by Ajinkya Rahane off the third ball of the match and again in the next over by Kohli, while Haseeb Hameed was grassed by M Vijay a while later.
The drops didn’t cost India many runs but certainly did so in terms of momentum. Cook was streaky and beaten by the pacers regularly, but Hameed, the 19-year-old debutant, looked solid as England’s openers dominated the first hour.
However, the drinks break broke the 47-run association. Cook was given leg before to a turning ball from Ravindra Jadeja and walked back without reviewing the call, although replays later showed it would have missed leg-stump.
R Ashwin then threatened to capitalise with a couple of quick strikes. Seeing that Hameed was comfortable with him bowling over the stumps, Ashwin switched angles and deceived the teenager with drift to trap him leg before – a decision the batsman reviewed in vain. For all the talk of India's inexperience with DRS, the first two dismissals were incorrect judgments by England.
Ben Duckett soon edged the off-spinner to Rahane at slip for a low catch, reducing England to 102 for 3 after an eventful first session.
With a dodgy middle order and memories of the second-Test collapse in Bangladesh fresh, England was in a spot. That’s when Root and Moeen took over.
Without a shot in anger, Root almost silently sneaked past his half-century off just 72 balls with typically busy batting. India’s spinners invited him to hit against the turn with large, vacant spaces on one side of the field and Root gleefully accepted the invitation. He consistently drove Ashwin to the off-side boundaries, while Amit Mishra’s loopy deliveries were dispatched through mid-wicket with disdain. All this, between the numerous push-and-run singles and a dozen twos.
At the other end was Moeen, who too batted without much fuss. India tried to bounce him out early in his innings – as it did often during its tour of England in 2014 – but Moeen was untroubled on a pitch that didn’t have menacing bounce. As Root approached his ton, Moeen too crept close to his own half-century as the pair added 107 runs in a wicket-less second session.
Both batsmen went past their milestones after tea and began to open up gradually. Soon after paddle-sweeping Ashwin to bring up his first ton in Asia, Root stepped out to hit Jadeja for a massive straight six and followed it up with a reverse-sweep off Ashwin. Moeen too took on Ashwin, swiping him to the mid-wicket fence on a couple of occasions.
Root was threatening to show more of his stroke-play when a caught and bowled call ended his stay in slightly bizarre manner. He punched a straight drive back to Umesh, who took the catch and then tossed the ball over his head in celebration. Rod Tucker, the third umpire, stayed with the on-field soft signal to rule Root out after a brilliant century.
Moeen slowed down towards the end and successfully saw through a reverse-swing examination along with Stokes.
India’s bowlers largely struggled on a pitch that didn’t have much for them. Ashwin didn’t look threatening after the initial spell and conceded more than 100 runs from 31 overs, Jadeja was harmless throughout, while Mishra bowled only nine expensive overs that cost 41 runs.
It didn’t help that Shami struggled with his right hamstring through the latter part of one of the toughest bowling days for India, especially at home, in recent times.
For full scorecard of the match, click here.
