After keeping India to 445 runs, England’s openers got off to a strong start in the little period before the tea break.
With the ball, England maintained control with consistent strikes, forcing India to rebuild practically the whole innings.
First up, James Anderson struck with a still-fresh new ball, getting it to form away from Kuldeep Yadav, the nightwatchman, and forcing him to nick behind. Ravindra Jadeja, the centurion, followed suit in the following over, attempting to push Joe Root straight down the ground but ending up with a routine return catch for the bowler. After losing 5/2 in the morning session and falling to 331/7, India was in danger of being bowled out for a low score on a flat wicket.
That concern was alleviated by a steady stand by rookie Dhruv Jurel and R Ashwin, who both shown the patience to bat intelligently as the occasion required. With the track remaining free of demons, the pair was able to consistently drive India forward.
Jurel was daring early on against an aggressive Mark Wood, even upper-cutting him once over the slip cordon, but ultimately played to the brilliance of the throw. He defied Wood’s leg-side trap, while Ashwin followed suit by being conservatively solid. The two put up a 77-run stand, propelling India above 400. But, just as they were about to increase the score, Ashwin fell against the flow of play, striking Rehan Ahmed in the middle. Jurel followed suit, edging the cut as India stalled once again. Jsprit Bumrah and Mohammad Siraj struck a 30-run partnership to get the total close to 450 before Wood closed it off with four wickets.
Brief Scores:
India 445 (Rohit Sharma 131, Ravindra Jadeja 112, Sarfaraz Khan 62; Mark Wood 4-114) vs England
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