Hundreds from Rohit Sharma (131) and Ravindra Jadeja (110 not out) ensured India ended Day 1 of the third Test against England in Rajkot in a good position. At stumps, the home team was 326 for 5.
In sharp contrast to how the day ended, England had found themselves on top in the first half of the morning session. Mark Wood bowled with pace and skill to remove both Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill early. Gill in particular looked tentative outside the off-stump and eventually edged one behind. Rajat Patidar then played a poor shot as he was caught by Ben Duckett at covers off Tom Hartley.
It could have been worse for the hosts, but Joe Root dropped a rather simple chance at slip off Hartley to give Rohit a reprieve. The opener then got an LBW decision reversed off James Anderson. Those two moments were the turning points of the day. Rohit and Jadeja looked to build a partnership. In-between, the duo also played a few lofts and drives, but it was mostly about grinding down the bowlers.
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In the post-lunch session, the pair opened up their shoulders a bit. Rohit charging down the deck and depositing Root over long-on was a case in point. India then hit top gear in the last couple of hours, collecting as many as 141 runs. Although they lost Rohit, one of the centurions, and Sarfaraz Khan in the process.
Sarfaraz (62), making his Test debut, impressed as he played a volley of shots against the spinners. In the Ranji Trophy, his greatest strength is that he targets unusual areas while facing the spinners and that was clearly visible in Rajkot as well. Sarfaraz looked all set to reach a quick-fire hundred on debut, but he was run-out on the back of a terrible mix-up with Jadeja. In the pavilion, Rohit, the skipper, threw his cap down in sheer frustration after watching the mix-up.
Despite losing his batting partner, Jadeja duly reached his ton. In the company of nightwatchman, Kuldeep Yadav, he also steered the home side to close of play. On the other hand, England missed out on another opportunity when they didn’t review an appeal for an LBW against Jadeja at the fag end of the day’s play. The ball-tracker showed three reds.
On Day 1, the track was good for batting, but a few deliveries kept low. As the match progresses, the cracks could open up further.
Also Read: “He knows what it takes to score big runs” – Chandrakant Pandit on Sarfaraz Khan