In a nail-biting encounter, England emerged victorious in the first match of the 5-match Test series against India, clinching a 28-run win. The English team now leads the series 1-0, setting the stage for an exciting battle in the upcoming matches. The second Test is scheduled to be held in Visakhapatnam starting on February 2.
In the match held in Hyderabad, India’s pursuit of a 231-run target ended in disappointment as they were all out for 202 runs in the second innings. Captain Rohit Sharma led the charge with 39 runs, while Ravichandran Ashwin and KS Bharat contributed with innings of 28 runs each. England’s debutant, Tom Hartley, made a stunning debut by taking 7 wickets.
England began the fourth day with a score of 316/6 and managed to post a challenging total of 420 runs in the second innings. Ollie Pope was the standout performer with an impressive inning of 196 runs. Earlier, India had scored 436 runs, and England posted 246 runs in their first innings.
Winning the toss and opting to bat first, England scored 246 runs, with Captain Ben Stokes leading the charge with 70 runs. Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin claimed three wickets each for India. In response, India posted 436 runs, featuring notable contributions from Yashasvi Jaiswal (80 runs), Lokesh Rahul (86 runs), and Ravindra Jadeja (87 runs). England’s Joe Root took four wickets.
In the second innings for England, Ollie Pope’s remarkable 196 and Ben Duckett’s 47 set a target of 231 runs for India. India’s Bumrah took four wickets, and Ashwin took three wickets. However, the Indian batsmen struggled, with Captain Rohit Sharma top-scoring with 39 runs. Hartley’s seven-wicket haul played a crucial role in England’s victory.
In a noteworthy moment, Ravindra Jadeja was run out for the first time in Test cricket history. His record includes 17 bowled, 16 LBW, and 46 caught-out instances.
Jadeja’s exceptional performance in the first innings, scoring 87 runs, marked his seventh fifty-plus score against England in Test cricket. He has amassed 888 runs in 17 Test matches against England, averaging 32.88, with 6 fifties and one century. His run-out was a rare occurrence in his distinguished career.
On the first day of the match, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja achieved a significant milestone, becoming India’s highest wicket-taking pair in Tests with 508 wickets, surpassing the legendary pair of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh.
Ollie Pope’s exceptional inning of 196 runs in the second innings not only secured England’s victory but also set a record as the foreign batsman with the highest individual score against India in the second innings. This achievement previously belonged to Pakistan’s Anwar.
Additionally, Pope entered the top-5 list of players with the highest individual scores in the second innings in India, joining the ranks of Andy Flower, Brendon McCullum, Gary Sobers, and Saeed Anwar.
This victory for England builds anticipation for the remaining matches in the Test series, as both teams look to make their mark in the highly competitive series.
Sunil Yash Kalra is a women’s cricket historian and founder of Indian Sports Fans.