Day one of the fourth test between India and England ended with the hosts trailing by 138 runs with seven wickets in hand.
The Indian batting order was rather disappointing, apart from the half-centuries from captain Virat Kohli and Shardul Thakur. The latter scored the fastest fifty in tests in England. Here is what he had to say about his achievement:
“I was not aware of my record (fastest fifty in Tests in England). It’s always good to score runs for the team and contribute. These guys tease me with his name (Beefy/Ian Botham). When Pant got out, it was important for me to play such an innings.
“You can either be patient and defend, or go after the deliveries in the slot. I decided we can’t hang about and decided to play my shots. Runs are runs and it doesn’t matter how you put them on the board. At one stage, we felt we could get to maybe 150-170. Wickets were tumbling so we needed to put some runs on the board.
“Whatever runs you score in the first innings count and I think we’ve given ourselves a chance. The pitch is good for both, batsmen and bowlers. The margin for error is less as a bowler, but at the end of the day, you’ve got to apply yourself in both departments. It’s even stevens at the moment. Let’s see how it goes tomorrow.”
India were all out for 191, while England put 53 runs on the board by stumps. In total, 13 wickets were taken on the first day alone, suggesting an outstanding performance from bowlers on both teams. The main advantage that India have right now is the dismissal of Joe Root prior to the end of the first day.
The England skipper was dismissed for 21 off 25 deliveries, with Umesh Yadav picking up his wicket. The World Cup winners are slightly ahead when it comes to the state of the play, but counting India out especially given the fast-paced nature of the test will be unwise.
David Malan and Craig Overton will open the innings tomorrow, and India will be hoping to continue their impressive bowling performance to keep the hosts limited to a small score.
