India could handle neither and were busted in the first Test at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium on a sombre Sunday. (Image:DC)
Hyderabad: After Bazball came the Buzzball. India could handle neither and were busted in the first Test at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium on a sombre Sunday. Batsman Ollie Pope and left-arm spinner Tom Hartley were England’s leading lights against whom the home tigers turned rabbits.
After conceding a 190-run first innings lead, the visitors rode on the brilliance of Pope (196 — 278b, 21x4) and Hartley (7/62) to pip the hosts by 28 runs with a day to spare and take an unexpected lead in the five-game series.
Hartley had the last laugh, a hearty one at that. His first delivery in Test cricket was hit for a six by Yashasvi Jaiswal on the opening day. On the fourth, he ended with a 7 in the last column of his bowling figures to make his debut memorable.
Batting at No. 9, Hartley had earlier contributed a valuable 34 and was involved in an 80-run stand for the eighth wicket with Pope to prop England’s second innings up to 420, setting India a tricky target of 231.
Earlier, resuming at their overnight score of 316 for 6, England had added 23 runs in five-and-a-half overs before speedster Jasprit Bumrah struck, inducing an edge off Rehan Ahmed’s bat that landed safely in wicketkeeper K. S. Bharat’s gloves and ended a 64-run stand for the seventh wicket.
Pope got away on 186 as K. L. Rahul at second slip could not hold on to a gentle cut off seamer Mohammed Siraj. England were 396 for 7 then in the 95th over, 18th of the day. England’s batting star also survived a review for LBW against Jadeja’s left-arm spin while on 195.
Wickets 8, 9 and 10 fell cheaply, the last of which was a heart-break as Pope threw it away when he was a shot shy of what would have been a deserving double century. The England No. 3 tried to reverse scoop a ball from Bumrah only to miss it and see his off-stump uprooted.
Pope was in action soon though, effecting two key dismissals. Fielding at forward short-leg, he snapped up Yashasvi Jaiswal (15), who tried to prod at Hartley, and then pulled off another quick reaction catch at silly-point to dismiss Shubman Gill (0) off the same bowler. And when captain Rohit Sharma departed, trapped leg before wicket by Hartley after making 39, India became uneasy, having slipped to 63 for 3.
The Tea worked wonders for the English — it’s their national drink. The visitors came back from the break refreshed and renewed to rattle India. Axar Patel, K. L. Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja and Shreyas Iyer fell in quick succession — for the addition of just 24 runs as the hosts ran out of steam at 119 for 7.
Jadeja was done in by a brilliant throw by captain Ben Stokes from mid-on as he took off for a quick single off Root. Stokes’s underarm flick crashed into the stumps to set off celebrations in the England camp.
The eighth wicket pair of K. S. Bharat and R. Ashwin then put their feet and heads down to stem the rot for a while. They put on 57 before Bharat was bowled by Hartley, who also accounted for Ashwin in his next over.
The last pair of Bumrah and Siraj hit some shots around and picked 25 of the 54 required for a win before the latter tried to smash Hartley out of the ground and missed the line. Siraj and India were stumped.
( Source : Deccan Chronicle )
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