In a compelling turnaround, England bounced back from a morning session collapse to reach a commendable total of 302 for 7 on the opening day of the fourth Test against India, with former skipper Joe Root leading the charge with an unbeaten century.
Debutant pacer Akash Deep made an impactful entrance, tormenting the visitors by dismissing openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett in the morning session. Akash Deep, in a dream debut, returned figures of 3/70, showcasing resilience after overcoming an early no-ball setback.
However, it was Joe Root who emerged as the stalwart, standing firm against the onslaught of the home team bowlers, scoring an unbeaten 106 off 226 balls by the end of the day.
At stumps, Root found support in Ollie Robinson, who remained unbeaten on 31. The pair added valuable runs, stabilizing England's innings after they were left struggling at 112/5 by Akash Deep's impressive spell.
Earlier in the day, Root and Ben Foakes orchestrated a crucial partnership of 113 runs for the sixth wicket, steering England out of trouble. Despite Akash Deep's exploits, England managed to recover, with Jonny Bairstow contributing a quickfire 38 before falling to Ravichandran Ashwin.
Skipper Ben Stokes was dismissed for 3, caught in front of the wicket by Ravindra Jadeja, as India dominated the morning session. The hosts currently lead the five-Test series 2-1.
Brief Score:
England 1st innings: 302 for 7 in 90 overs (Joe Root not out 106, Zak Crawley 42, Jonny Bairstow 38, Ben Foakes 47, Ollie Robinson not out 31; Akash Deep 3/70, Mohammed Siraj 2/60).
Scoreboard at stumps on the opening day of the fourth Test between India and England:
England 1st Innings:
- Zak Crawley b Akash Deep 42
- Ben Duckett c Jurel b Akash Deep 11
- Ollie Pope lbw b Akash Deep 0
- Joe Root not out 106
- Jonny Bairstow lbw b Ashwin 38
- Ben Stokes lbw b Jadeja 3
- Ben Foakes c Jadeja b Mohammed Siraj 47
- Tom Hartley b Mohammed Siraj 13
- Ollie Robinson not out 31
Extras: (B-1, LB-6, NB-4) 11
Total: (For 7 wickets in 90 overs) 302
Fall of wickets: 1-47, 2-47, 3-57, 4-109, 5-112, 6-225, 7-245
Bowling: Mohammed Siraj 13-3-60-2, Akash Deep 17-0-70-3, Ravindra Jadeja 27-7-55-1, Ravichandran Ashwin 22-1-83-1, Kuldeep Yadav 10-3-21-0, Yashasvi Jaiswal 1-0-6-0.
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