🏏England tour of India 2024: 1st Test: 25 - 29 Jan 2024 - Day 4🏏 - Page 6

Sharan: "Eng collapsing to spin. India unable to mop the tail. Stokes fighting when all is gone. You can change things but do things change?"

END OF OVER 64

7 runs

ENG: 242/9

CRR: 3.78

BA Stokes

66 (85)

MJ Leach

0 (3)

R Ashwin

21-1-68-3

JJ Bumrah

8-1-24-1

England 246 all out.

India batting next.

64.1

Bumrah to Stokes, FOUR, 121.3kph, Bumrah deceives Stokes with this off-cutter. Stokes defends and the ball trims the outside edge. The ball goes between the keeper and wide-ish first slip to run away to the third man fence. Streaky!

64.3

Bumrah to Stokes, out Bowled!! Bumrah has a big smile on his face as he cleans up Stokes. Stokes b Bumrah 70(88) [4s-6 6s-3]

Bumrah to Stokes, THATS OUT!! Bowled!!

Day 1: 3rd Session

ENG 246

(64.3)

3/88 in 18 overs - ER of 4.88 - > This is the worst ER for Jadeja in an innings in a home Test where he has bowled more than one over.

England, after opting to bat, have been bundled out for 246. Their openers got them off to a quick start - fifty in 11 overs. Ashwin provided the breakthrough and England lost three wickets for five runs. The two Yorkshire batters - Root and Bairstow - forged a fifty partnership to steady the innings. Axar bowled a beauty to remove the latter which provided another opening for India. Root fell playing a premeditated sweep shot and Foakes nicked off against Axar. At 137/6, England were in a spot of bother. Stokes, however, didn't give up. Like he has done umpteen number of times, the England captain coupled caution with aggression and the lower order batters gave him decent support as they got close to 250.

England have a decent first innings total on a spinning track. Let's find out how the Indian batters fare...

There were various pockets when England looked good. First when they picked the pacers for 41 off eight overs, then Crawley and Root stabilised them following a three-wicket spell. Barstow and Stokes looked good for a while in the middle session, and then Stokes found some support from the lower order to prise out crucial runs to get them past 200. It keeps them in the game for sure on a surface that's turning, but is far from a day-three or day-four bunsen that you have heard a few times over.