Tons from Skipper Rohit, Jadeja put India in comfortable position
Centuries by skipper Rohit, Jadeja put India in comfortable position at 326/5 on Day one of 3rd Test against England
India were 326 for 5 at stumps on Day one in their first innings against England in the third test at Niranjan Shah Cricket Stadium in Rajkot. India lost three early wickets after winning the toss in the morning and electing to bat.
They were once reeling at 33 for three before captain Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja turned things around with a massive double-century stand. Both Sharma and Jadeja scored centuries while debutant Sarfaraz Khan scored a quickfire 62. For England, Mark Wood took three wickets. This is a five-match series and both the teams have won one match each.
On a flat batting pitch, India pressed hard through tons from Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja but England managed to keep them in check with regular strikes.
India had started the day on the backfoot, even after winning the toss, with Mark Wood getting both Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill to nick behind in quick succession. India’s woes were tripled when Rajat Patidar chipped a catch to short cover in Tom Hartley’s first over of the match.
After being reduced to 33/3, India could have dropped further down with the pressure beginning to show at the other end. A watchful Rohit began to chance his arm after spending time on the pitch. This also resulted in a chance but Joe Root missed a sharp one at slip when Rohit, on 27, was trying to take on Hartley. He also survived another nervous moment when he was adjudged LBW against James Anderson but had it overturned on review where an inside edge was spotted.
Rohit continued to take some calculated chances, and lofted Hartley for a boundary and even danced down to Anderson to barely clear mid on. That bit of luck also led to him cashing in on other boundary opportunities that came his way as he got to his 17th Test fifty.
Ravindra Jadeja, who earned a promotion at No. 5, brought in a left-right combination to the crease and it proved fruitful as the two most experienced batters in this Indian line-up stitched together an assured stand. England tried hard to break through with some reverse swing on offer as well. However, the duo began to find their rhythm with loose balls coming their way at regular intervals from the spinners.
They saw through the second session unbeaten, giving India some much-needed stability. The third session began with a lot of promise for India as the duo pressed on the accelerator with Rohit getting to his 11th Test ton as well.
But just as the partnership threatened to push England out, they struck with Rohit falling to the short-ball trap and mistiming a pull off Wood to midwicket. As England sensed an opening with two debutants slotted to follow, their hopes were dashed with Sarfaraz Khan hitting a sprightly fifty. The debutant was aggressive against the spinners in particular, sweeping and lofting with confidence. He scored 62 in a 77-run stand with Jadeja, with the latter nearing a hundred. The milestone played a part in Sarfaraz’s dismissal with Jadeja calling for a quick single but then sending his partner back late. Wood, from mid on, did not miss the direct hit and left the Indian camp frustrated even as Jadeja brought up his ton a ball later.
Brief Scores: India 326/5 (Rohit Sharma 131, Ravindra Jadeja 110*, Sarfaraz Khan 62; Mark Wood 3-69) vs England
