After James Anderson and Matthew Potts picked off 5 quick wickets, it was Rishabh Pant (146) who scored a classy century, counter-attacking along with Ravindra Jadeja (83 not out) to bring India back into the contest in the Edgbaston Test. Pant got to his hundred off 89 deliveries. Jadeja took 109 balls to get to his fifty. India finished with 338/7 on Day 1.
After the early wickets, Pant and Jadeja put on a stand 222-run stand for the sixth wicket, to steady the ship and then put India in a position of strength on Day 1. It was Pant's fourth century in Tests outside Asia, and India needed that innings quite badly.
Indian openers Shubman Gill and Cheteshwar Pujara were hoping to bat time in Edgbaston on Day 1, but James Anderson had other ideas. There was Gill playing some delectable shots early in the day and looking good, before the wily Anderson got his edge and he was caught in the slips for 17.
Pujara and Hanuma Vihrar then dropped anchor for a while, thwarting the English pacers for a while. But just as India approached the 50-run mark, with a little over half-hour to go in the session, Anderson packed off Pujara for 13. The batters had survived a couple of small scares before the second wicket fell.
Soon after, the players had to make their way to the pavilion and stay indoors for a couple of hours as it rained quite heavily. But then out came the bright sun and the players too. Not much changed in terms of the momentum of the game though, as Matthew Potts got into the wickets column, with the scalp of Hanuma Vihari, trapped LBW for 20.
Potts struck again in his next over too, catching the inside edge of Kohli's bat and knocking over the woodwork. Kohli was gone for 11 and India were in trouble, having lost 4 wickets before the completion of 25 overs in the innings. Shreyas Iyer walked in and got going quickly with a couple of boundaries and was looking to rebuild with Pant.
The southpaw danced down the track and whacked Anderson for 4 in the 28th over, and a couple of deliveries later, the pacer accounted for Shreyas, who edged it to Sam Billings.
Shreyas was gone for 15 and India were five down for 98 and in trouble on a gloomy day. Pant was then joined by Ravindra Jadeja, and the duo didn't have the most comfortable half-hour or so to start with as England attacked the edges.
The two left handers dug in and once settled, looked to pick up the scoring rate. Pant and Jadeja found the fence a few times as well, helping get a move on. In the 37th over, Pant really went through the gears, hammering him for a couple of fours and a six. With Tea approaching, Pant got to his fifty in the 43rd over when he flicked Leach away to the fence. The duo put on 76 runs to steady the innings in the afternoon session.
At Tea, India were 174/5. Pant was not out on 53 and Jadeja on 32.
After the Tea break, Pant started to pick up the scoring rate at his end, finding boundaries with regularly. Jadeja was very happy to feed Pant the strike, and hold up one end, as conditions eased up and the sun came out as well. India's run-rate had gone from two-point-something to four-point-something in the final session.
Pant of course, was marching along to yet another century, and brought that up with a couple to fine leg of Stuart Broad. In the same over, Jadeja brought up his half-century off 109 deliveries.
Pant put his foot on the accelerator after that and took Leach to the cleaners, again, scoring 22 off his 9th over which included an unnecessary over throw for four as well. England had lost the advantage from picking 5 quick wickets as India marched along with a 200-plus sixth wicket stand.
Jasprit Bumrah is India captain.
Image: PTI
Pant took a couple of knocks during his innings, but battled on and drove India to a position of strength. Such had been the change in momentum in the game that the dressing room went from being worried to Rahul Dravid sharing plenty of laughs while pretty much lounging in the balcony and being among the more animated persons in the final hour of the day.
Pant hammered Joe Root for a six and reached 146 off 110 balls, and while looking for the glorious hit to reach 150, he was dismissed by Root, caught at first slip by Zak Crawley. India lost their sixth wicket but the momentum was very much in the direction of the visitors.
Pant and Jadeja put on 222 runs for the sixth wicket which is the joint highest for India away from home equalling Tendulkar and Azharuddin in Cape Town in 1997.
Shardul Thakur (1) could hold out for only 12 deliveries before a Ben Stokes bouncer had his number in the final phase of play on the day.
India scored 164 runs in the final session in 29 overs with Jadeja, unbeaten on 83, and Mohammed Shami playing out till stumps.
Toss
England captain Ben Stokes has won the toss at Edgbaston and asked India to bat first, in what is slightly overcast conditions. India leads the Test series, which began in 2021 and was halted due to COVID-19, with a 2-1 lead, having won both the games in London.
Cheteshwar Pujara will open with Shubman Gill and R Ashwin misses out. Ben Foakes is out and James Anderson is back for England. Sam Billings will keep for England.
“It's a good feeling (to be captain) and is a big privilege. Can't get better than this. Excited and looking forward to this. Very happy with the preparation. Wanted to spend a lot of time and get used to the English conditions, as we came back from T20s. Happy with the preparation, now it's for the mental side to take over. Four bowlers - myself, Siraj, Shardul and Shami along with Jaddu as the all-rounder,” Jasprit Bumrah said at the toss.
“We're gonna have a bowl. We've done well chasing and it's also to see how the wicket will behave. It's obviously good to come into a new series so quickly. Gives us the opportunity to keep the momentum rolling. We're going to keep the same attitude going,” Stokes said.
Bumrah’s deputy will be wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant. Bumrah becomes India’s sixth captain in the 2022 calendar year for the men’s team. Bumrah had been the vice-captain during India's previous Test series, against Sri Lanka at home.
Bumrah incidentally has never led in any form of cricket, so this will be his maiden captaincy stint. He will also become the first fast bowler to captain India since Kapil Dev, who was removed in 1987 after the Pakistan match in Bangalore. Bumrah will be the 36th cricketer to lead India in the longest-format since the country first played in 1932.
Teams
India (Playing XI): Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah(c)
England (Playing XI): Alex Lees, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes(c), Sam Billings(w), Matty Potts, Stuart Broad, Jack Leach, James Anderson
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)