Ranchi: England did not live and die like millionaires here at the JSCA Stadium on the first day of the fourth Test. Instead, they lived frugally and remained stoic in the face of oncoming adversity. They did un-British things like gritting their teeth and keeping their heads down to get through a difficult garden. It was a philosophy at stake, the Joe Root style of smart batting, that helped them relearn the art of self-deprivation and discipline.
There were moments when the likes of Zak Crawley and Jonny Bairstow tried to counter-punch, but for most of the day the reigning god Buzzball was shelved, thrown into a corner of the changing room. Friday wasn't the time.
Root regained composure and form on the tricky, difficult but not diabolical pitches of Ranchi, scoring his 1st century in the series, 10th against India and 31st in a Test ton (106 at stumps, an astonishing 9×4) 226 pitches) and made the putt. With a precious 113 runs for the sixth wicket with wicketkeeper Ben Foakes.
In the process England recovered from 112/5 after some confusion in the morning session, led by India's debut pacer Akash Deep (3/70), and posted 302/7 from 90 overs at stumps. He left an excellent result. They went with an unfashionable over-par 3.35. At one point England had 16 overs and four balls between boundaries. Root reached triple figures on 219 balls, the third slowest of his career, but importantly the slowest by an England batsman in the Stokes-McCallum era this century. Against India's veteran spinners, Root returned to the tiring Test batting with grit and class.
Root's innings, especially after England seemed to have the upper hand in the early stages of the match, worries India, as the slow-turning deliveries are kept low, the momentum has changed and there is a crack on the outside of the right-arm stump. right. First up is the bat.
Thanks to the dampness of the pitch and the new ball, Akash Deep made a memorable debut as he bowled heavy balls, hit long distances and pinched the threatening balls. The 27-year-old Bengal pacer showed no signs of nervousness on the big day, so it must have been those magic words said by coach Rahul Dravid who handed him the Test cap.
Even when he bowled Crawley with a nipbacker, cartwheeling the stumps and sending him into celebration, there were no nerves. He walked back to his mark and continued on, getting his man in the same way a few overs later, but in the 10th over he sent Duckett and Pope back in the space of three balls.
It was a sensational affair and with the series at stake, it looked like India were getting closer to a decision. The writing was on the wall as England were 112/5 when Ben Stokes went down at lunch and deflected a dangerously low shot from Jadeja that went under the England captain's bat. It looked like there was.
After Pitch burnt in the sun for a while, he fell asleep. The lateral movement has disappeared. The balls were old and soft. Root decided to stick himself in that crease. He completely eschewed his recent frenzy and began a long journey for England. He struggled to get his bat in front of his pads against Ashwin and Jadeja, who did not try to run through and were always threatening. There were no pretty shots, no sweeps or reverse sweeps until quite late in the day when the tail was exposed. He played straight and slow and avoided slow turns.
At the other end, the horribly underrated batsman Ben Foakes (47 off 126 balls, 4×4, 1×6) followed suit, soaking in the pressure. For the first time in the series, England fought through the entire session without losing a wicket. Desperate to force the batsmen into mistakes, captain Rohit Sharma persisted with a strange fielding arrangement, like backward short leg. India's infatuation with his DRS also cost them dearly, going unreviewed and probably costing him on Ollie Robinson's wicket later in the day. The only time the stand broke was when Fawkes lost patience and tried to inject some momentum.
Although Siraj showed some impressive reverse swing in the second half of the day, the bowlers will have to start all over again from the second day and India's batsmen will now face a bigger challenge. Root's patient and deft knock gave Akash Deep's early attack some brilliance and left India with one burning question at the stumps. “Jasprit Bumrah, where are you?”
There were moments when the likes of Zak Crawley and Jonny Bairstow tried to counter-punch, but for most of the day the reigning god Buzzball was shelved, thrown into a corner of the changing room. Friday wasn't the time.
Root regained composure and form on the tricky, difficult but not diabolical pitches of Ranchi, scoring his 1st century in the series, 10th against India and 31st in a Test ton (106 at stumps, an astonishing 9×4) 226 pitches) and made the putt. With a precious 113 runs for the sixth wicket with wicketkeeper Ben Foakes.
In the process England recovered from 112/5 after some confusion in the morning session, led by India's debut pacer Akash Deep (3/70), and posted 302/7 from 90 overs at stumps. He left an excellent result. They went with an unfashionable over-par 3.35. At one point England had 16 overs and four balls between boundaries. Root reached triple figures on 219 balls, the third slowest of his career, but importantly the slowest by an England batsman in the Stokes-McCallum era this century. Against India's veteran spinners, Root returned to the tiring Test batting with grit and class.
Root's innings, especially after England seemed to have the upper hand in the early stages of the match, worries India, as the slow-turning deliveries are kept low, the momentum has changed and there is a crack on the outside of the right-arm stump. right. First up is the bat.
Thanks to the dampness of the pitch and the new ball, Akash Deep made a memorable debut as he bowled heavy balls, hit long distances and pinched the threatening balls. The 27-year-old Bengal pacer showed no signs of nervousness on the big day, so it must have been those magic words said by coach Rahul Dravid who handed him the Test cap.
Even when he bowled Crawley with a nipbacker, cartwheeling the stumps and sending him into celebration, there were no nerves. He walked back to his mark and continued on, getting his man in the same way a few overs later, but in the 10th over he sent Duckett and Pope back in the space of three balls.
Expanding
After Pitch burnt in the sun for a while, he fell asleep. The lateral movement has disappeared. The balls were old and soft. Root decided to stick himself in that crease. He completely eschewed his recent frenzy and began a long journey for England. He struggled to get his bat in front of his pads against Ashwin and Jadeja, who did not try to run through and were always threatening. There were no pretty shots, no sweeps or reverse sweeps until quite late in the day when the tail was exposed. He played straight and slow and avoided slow turns.
At the other end, the horribly underrated batsman Ben Foakes (47 off 126 balls, 4×4, 1×6) followed suit, soaking in the pressure. For the first time in the series, England fought through the entire session without losing a wicket. Desperate to force the batsmen into mistakes, captain Rohit Sharma persisted with a strange fielding arrangement, like backward short leg. India's infatuation with his DRS also cost them dearly, going unreviewed and probably costing him on Ollie Robinson's wicket later in the day. The only time the stand broke was when Fawkes lost patience and tried to inject some momentum.
Although Siraj showed some impressive reverse swing in the second half of the day, the bowlers will have to start all over again from the second day and India's batsmen will now face a bigger challenge. Root's patient and deft knock gave Akash Deep's early attack some brilliance and left India with one burning question at the stumps. “Jasprit Bumrah, where are you?”
