India vs England 2021, 1st Test Day 1 highlights: Bumrah, Shami precipitate England's collapse, make it India's day

India vs England Highlights: Get the live cricket streaming updates, ball by ball commentary updates of first test match between IND vs ENG.

Updated : Aug 05, 2021 14:15 IST

Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul build a positive start for India after it bowled out England for 183 on day 1.
Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul build a positive start for India after it bowled out England for 183 on day 1.
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Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul build a positive start for India after it bowled out England for 183 on day 1.

Hello and welcome to Sportstar's coverage of the first Test between India and England as action unfolds at Trent Bridge, Nottingham.


Can Indian batsmen hand the team a big lead? We'll find out on Day Two. Join us, for all the action tomorrow. Play starts at 3.30 pm.

One poor session for the home team has tilted the scales in India's favour, after two more or less even sessions of play. Bumrah and Shami picked up seven wickets among them, but all fast bowlers bowled well, and were among the wickets.

Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow were the only English batsmen to put up some resistance with the bat.

And India's openers were cautious early on; they were beaten a few times in conditions favourable for seamers, but no harm done.

IND 21/0 in 13 overs: A maiden over. And that's the end of the day's play.

A loud shout for lbw as Robinson gets a ball to pitch on a length and hit Rohit on the knee-roll. The ball was angling into the batsman and it seemed as if it would miss the stumps.

England goes for the review, but the ball tracker shows it would miss the stumps. Not out!

IND 21/0 in 12 overs: Sam Curran gets a delivery to angle across Rahul, who goes on to his front foot and reaches out for the ball outside the off-stump.

Curran bowls an even better delivery as he gets the ball to pitch on a good length and then slightly moves away from the batsman after pitching. Rahul was lucky not to get an edge on that one.

IND 21/0 in 11 overs: A testing over from Ollie Robinson, but no trouble for Rohit, who either leaves the ball safely outside off, or defends it. A single through the leg side was taken by Rahul on the first delivery.

IND 20/0 in 10 overs: Rohit upto the mark this time. Broad continues to hit the corridor outside off and Rohit plants himself forward and negotiates the nagging deliveries with soft hands.

IND 19/0 in 9 overs: Successive maidens for Robinson. Rohit's put under some heat by Robinson as he finds the batter's inside-edge twice. Rohit is a bit iffy on the front foot in this over against the extra bounce of Robinson.

IND 19/0 in 8 overs: Broad's bowling with a lot of purpose and continues to offer a sharp delivery every now and then. Rahul's set his base well here and continues to push about the inner circle for now.

IND 17/0 in 7 overs: Robinson starts with a nagging delivery that just misses the off-stump by millmetres. Rahul's been pretty certain with his leaves outside the off and is lucky to see that through. Robinson draws a fine length and begins with a maiden.

Robinson into the attack

IND 17/0 in 6 overs: Broad gets Rohit to push at one outside the off-side away from his body. Short and wide and Rohit flashes hard at it and is lucky to not have a tickle at it. Rohit comes up with a fine reply as well. Broad attempts to draw Rohit towards the off-side with a tempter outside off. Well, to Broad's dismay Rohit did exactly that with a leaning drive through the square for a boundary with utmost perfection.

IND 13/0 in 5 overs: Anderson cuts Rahul in half with a peach that sneaks through his defense. Rahul comes up with an equally thumping reply as he smashes the next ball through covers for a gorgeous boundary. Leans well into the drive and it's a positive start for the openers here.

IND 8/0 in 4 overs: Broad begins with a beauty to Rohit. Right in the fine channel outside off and Broad convincingly beats Rohit's outside-edge. Rohit gets off strike and Rahul continues to weave a tight defense to end the over.

IND 7/0 in 3 overs: Anderson maintains a strict line on the stumps but varies his length throughout the over. Rahul gets a test on multiple fronts and he decides to keep it simple for the over. Anderson sneaks in a maiden.

IND 7/0 in 2 overs: Broad begins with a couple of sharp ones angling into the stumps. Rahul pushes forward with a solid defense and waives the ball off the nagging length. Broad offers some room to Rahul later in the over and he drives with ease through covers to find three runs and opens his account.

Stuart Broad from the other end

IND 4/0 in 1 over: Rohit begins with a solid block off the front-foot against Anderson. Negligible swing to start but Anderson finds a streaky outside edge off Rohit second ball that rushes through gully for a boundary. Rohit is up with a compact defense close to his body and Anderson does not do much to bother him first-up.

Back for the second innings, Rohit and KL Rahul at the crease. Anderson with the new ball.

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A concerted bowling effort led by its cornerstone seamers Shami and Bumrah has put India in an unfamiliar head start in an overseas series. Kohli's men were upto the task from ball one and reducing errors to near zero has helped them to maintain pressure throughout the three sessions. Root's technical supremacy strode him to another well-compiled half-century, however, none of the top-order batters could match up despite having their look-in. India's openers won't have it easy either. Anderson and Broad up in suitable conditions - Rohit and Rahul's approach will be an exciting sight with about 20 overs remaining in the day.

ENG 183 all out in 65.4 overs: Bumrah to Anderson. OUT! Smashes the timber and it's all over. A review for an lbw appeal does not go India's way and Bumrah comes up with an even perfect yorker next up to hit the stumps. Terrific comeback for India's slingman and a fine start for Kohli & Co. to its second WTC campaign.  James Anderson b Bumrah 1 (11b)

 

ENG 183/9 in 65 overs: Anderson gets a nervy single off the fourth ball. Shami offers room to Curran and he blunts it over point for another boundary. The partnership has done enough to put Kohli back in the dressing room for a couple of overs as well. 

Shami is back

ENG 178/9 in 64 overs: Curran begins with a charge against a nip-backer against Bumrah but fails to guide it past mid-on. Bumrah keeps it tight around the stumps but lets one outside off the final ball. Curran creams it through covers for four but more importantly for India, it has Anderson on strike with potentially six balls on offer to knock him off.

ENG 174/9 in 63 overs: Curran's on the attack against Thakur. A full-bloodied heave to the on-side and Curran finds a boundary through the midwicket fence. India's frustrating times with opposition 'tails' are slowly creeping in here. Kohli has a frown on his face too.

ENG 169/9 in 62 overs: Bumrah continues to find some sharp swing away from the left-handers. Anderson has a nervy last ball to see out as Bumrah sends one down the line outside off.

ENG 167/9 in 61 overs: Curran on the charge! With Anderson at the other end, Curran is left with little options to move the innings forward. He targets Thakur to swing big and connects. A massive six sails over long-on and Curran does well to retain strike with a single off the final ball.

ENG 160/9 in 60 overs: Bumrah to Broad. OUT! A corker to settle Broad in front of the wickets. India's in a hurry and Bumrah's in-swinging yorker makes Broad dance in the crease before the ball hits the front pad plumb in front.  Stuart Broad lbw b Bumrah 4 (3b 1x4)

ENG 159/8 in 59 overs: Thakur is Root. OUT! Shardul means box office! Root is caught plumb in front. Thakur simply wafts the ball in with a fine length and the gently swing beats Root's defense! No doubts about that as he's struck sharp in middle. A remarkable knock comes to an end as Thakur climbs on the wickets tally. Well, he has another! Robinson holes out to mid-on. On the length and jumps and Robinson's mistimed fails to cross the circle. England in complete disarray here. Joe Root lbw b Thakur 64 (108b 11x4), Ollie Robinson c Mohammed Shami b Thakur 0 (3b)

Thakur is back.

ENG 155/6 in 58 overs: Bumrah comes around the wicket to the left-handed Curran and surprisingly finds some pronounced swing to accompany him.  He gets the ball to move in and away from Curran who negates the bowler with a watchful eye.

ENG 151/6 in 57 overs: 150 up for England. It's a fine bouncer from Siraj but Root's nimble footwork enables him to easily rock back and pull the ball to square for a boundary. It's been solid from one end and shoddy from the other for England.

Siraj replaces Shami

ENG 146/6 in 56 overs: Bumrah to Buttler. OUT! Edged and taken! 18-ball duck for Buttler! Top class bowling from either end eventually castles Buttler. It's not easy to have a look in on this track and Bumrah's fine ploy works. He pushes a couple of shorter ones in the over before inducing the faulty drive off the final ball. Buttler quietly falls into the trap and Pant has another easy take behind the stumps. India with a massive chance to land the knockout punch now or will the usual timidness prevail against the lower-order?  Jos Buttler c †Pant b Bumrah 0 (18b)

ENG 144/5 in 55 overs:  Shami continues to play with his length against the new man, Buttler. Inserting a couple of doubts into Buttler's mind and exploiting the fine channel outside off to good effect.

ENG 143/5 in 54 overs: Root's in his own sweet bubble at the middle! Quick on his feet and a sturdy defense against the incoming deliveries, Root backs it up with a cracking drive through the covers off a rare loosener from Shami.

ENG 139/5 in 53 overs: Clearly feeling the heat now. Bumrah is right back on and Buttler goes into the defensive instantly. Just one run coming off it.

ENG 138/5 in 52  overs: Shami to Lawrence. OUT! That's a poor way to go for a new batter. An ordinary fetches him another wicket today. Shami just draws it down leg and Lawrence couldn't resist the urge to wave his bat at it. The ball clips the edge and slides down leg and Pant has an easy scalp to his name.  Dan Lawrence c †Pant b Mohammed Shami 0 (4b)

Back for the final session. Root and Lawrence at the middle for England. Shami returns to complete his over.

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A wicket for India in the early part of the session, and then another at the end. In between these dismissals, Root and Bairstow thwarted the potent Indian attack, scoring a few boundaries between them as well.

A shared session, again.

England 138/4 in the 51st over: Shami gets his second! Right at the stroke of tea, ends a nagging partnership.

It's a full delivery, directed to Bairstow's pads. The ball moves in slightly, it misses the bat and thuds into the pads. The appeal is turned down by the umpire, but then the verdict is overturned as India opts for the referral.

Bairstow had come forward to smother the ball with his bat, but was unsuccessful. The ball tracker showed the ball to be fully hitting the stumps.

Jonny Bairstow lbw b Shami 29 (108b, 71b, 4x4, 0x6)

England 137/3 in 50 overs: Root gets defends one on the off-side and picks up a single to move to a half-century. It's the 50th of his career.

Two more singles from the over, including a carbon copy from Root of the one that got him to his fifty.

The last delivery from Bumrah is a very full one, outside off, it's square driven fiercely to point. But it's a no-ball. Nicely defended to leg by Bairstow.

England 133/3 in 49 overs: Bairstow flicks Shami to pick up a couple of runs. Shami bowls full for the most part in that over. Just the first delivery is on a good length outside off, the ball moves away from the batsman. No harm done as Bairstow leaves it alone.

England 131/3 in 48 overs: Bumrah's deliveries are awkward to handle as they angle in sharply to the right hander, ready to move either way or simply hold its line.

Root gets an inside edge to one of such deliveries, there's a cry from the bowler, and the ball beats the diving keeper to run away to the boundary. Streaky.

Root moves to 49.

England 127/3 in 47 overs: Bairstow plays a beautiful drive to get a boundary through extra cover. It's outside the off-stump from Siraj, and it's greeted by a picture-perfect stroke.

And his on-drive on the next delivery is even sweeter! Similar delivery, slightly straighter. Another four. Applause from the crowd again.

 

England 117/3 in 46 overs: Back of a good length persisted with. Root tucks one away behind square to bring up the 50 partnership.

There was the odd play and miss, a near run-out and a near catch in gully. But the two have been solid for the most part.

Bumrah back into the attack, to bowl his 11th.

England 115/3 in 45 overs: Three runs from the over from Siraj, all on the leg side. A rare bouncer on the fifth delivery; Bairstow ducks nicely under it. Then, a short-of-a-length delivery, on the thigh. It's tucked away to fine leg.

England 112/3 in 44 overs: Shardul bowls accurately in his 10th over. Just one delivery is bowled at the pads, it's flicked away to fine leg by Bairstow for a single.

Root plays a straight drive on the final delivery, the ball is partially stopped by the bowler and eventually fielded by mid on. Another single.

England 110/3 in 43 overs: Siraj bowls one short, Bairstow waits for the ball to come to him and at the last moment, steers it to gully. It's not fielded cleanly, and the batsmen run through a single.

England 107/3 in 42 overs: Squared up Root! It's an excellent delivery from Shardul; an in-between length, disallowing Root to come forward or go back. It's close to the off-stump, and it's a near-edge as the ball goes through to the keeper.

A back-foot push for a couple. Then Shardul bowls wider on the fifth delivery. Root reaches out to it to get another four.

England 101/3 in 41 overs: 100 up for England. Bairstow cuts the ball fine to pick up a boundary off Jadeja.

England 97/3 in 40 overs: Root hung his bat to a good length delivery outside the off-stump, and the ball goes through the gap between third slip and gully for a boundary. Root moves to 35.

Some excitement as Root is early into his drive and spoons up the ball to the vacant short cover region. No harm done.

England 93/3 in the 39th over: Root brings out his drive and collects a boundary through cover. And a chance of a run-out! Root goes back in his crease to Jadeja and tucks one to leg. He scampers through to complete a run and then turns back for the second; Siraj, coming from the deep, picks up the ball and throws it to the non-strikers' end. Root was back in his crease by then, but Bairstow had come a long way towards Root's end. By then time the ball was thrown to the keeper, Bairstow had made it. Just.

England 87/3 in 38 overs: Joe Root gets a good length delivery outside the off-stump, and he steers one to point to pick up a couple. A back-foot drive for a single makes it three from the over from Shardul Thakur.

England 83/3 in 37 overs: A near-edge as Bairstow goes for a cut but misses it. He defends for the most part in the over.

Time for some spin. Ravindra Jadeja into the attack.

England 83/3 in 36 overs: Cries of 'catch' as Joe Root gets an outside edge and the ball falls a yard short of the diving gully fielder. Anguish for Shardul. Another maiden over.

Shardul is back to bowl his sixth over.

England 83/3 in 35 overs: A maiden over from Siraj. He bowls back of a length for most of the over, and finishes up with a bouncer.

England 83/3 in 34 overs: Shami mixes it up nicely. He bowls a few back-of-a-length deliveries and a few full ones. A single taken from the over.

England 82/3 in 33 overs: A full delivery, outside off-stump, waiting to be hit. It is nicely driven by Root and the ball races to the extra-cover boundary.

Mohammad Siraj back into the attack.

England 78/3 in 32 overs: Root perhaps didn't expect the ball to lift as high; Shami angles it into his body, and the ball hits the handle of the bat and trickles to the leg side. Root gets a short delivery and he pulls it to fine leg to pick up a single. He is now three runs away from becoming the highest run-getter across formats for England.

England 77/3 in 31 overs: Bairstow closes the face of the bat to steer one past square leg; he plays it with soft hands but doesn't keep it down. The ball falls a yard or two away from the reach of square leg fielder. Siraj dives to his right but the ball goes past him and runs away to the boundary. Bairstow would want to be a bit more careful.

England 73/3 in 30 overs: Another one on the pads, this time by Shami, and it's flicked away to square leg by Joe Root for a single. Another flick. Bairstow picks up a single on the final delivery to keep strike. Two runs from the over.

England 71/3 in 29 overs: Bumrah sprays a couple down the leg side. One of them runs away to the boundary after brushing Bairstow's thigh pad, past the diving keeper. Bairstow is getting behind the deliveries nicely and is defending them solidly.

England 67/3 in 28 overs: WICKET! And not in the way one would have expected. Sibley gets a delivery on his thigh, a rare one on the leg side by Shami, and he gets a leading edge to the man at short midwicket. He was looking to flick it. Shami has his first! Dom Sibley c Rahul b Shami 18 (70, 2x4, 0x6)

Jonny Bairstow is the batsman. He squirts the ball to point to get off the mark.

ENG 66/2 in 27 overs: Full, outside off, and drilled through extra cover by Root for a boundary. That was a clinical drive. Four runs from the over from Bumrah.

ENG 62/2 in 26 overs: Shami continues to be economical. Continues to bowl a nagging line and length. Five dot balls, and then a full length on the pads of Root, who flicks it to long leg for a single.

Shami with the ball. He will be bowling his eighth over.

Players make their way out on to the field for post-lunch session.

Numerous plays and misses in the first session. Who's session is it? Probably neither team's. England would happy not to have lost too many wickets upfront in difficult conditions.

ENG 61/2 in 25 overs:  A dramatic end to the session!  Bumrah's final delivery nips back in sharply to hit Sibley back on his pad. The Indians are jubilant and go up in full assurance of a wicket. The umpire isn't interested and Kohli has a tough time in deciding for a review. Pant is in his ears again hoping for a review but he's left disappointed as Kohli opts against it at the stroke of lunch. In hindsight, a good decision as Kohli resisted the urge there as it's 'umpire's call' for the ball hitting the stumps.

What a start to the Test match. A fine session of attacking bowling from the Indian pacers was complemented by a determined fightback from England, albeit for the loss of Burns and Crawley.

Bumrah back into the attack

ENG 60/2 in 24 overs: Thakur continues to attack Sibley on the stumps and induce a false stroke. Sibley is quietly moving about his business at the moment and with Lunch around the corner, India will need to do better to create a wicket.

ENG 58/2 in 23 overs: Root up and running with hattrick boundaries! Siraj is on the money with a sharp ball nipping back in but Root is up for it as he prods forward and opens the face of the bat to lead the ball down third-man.  Siraj nearly gets him again as a wide delivery outside off gets Root to go for the expansive drive. The outside edge flies through the vacant gully region to the boundary as England moves past 50 as well.

ENG 46/2 in 22 overs: Thakur begins with a loose delivery to the pads and Sibley drills it to the midwicket boundary with a wristy flick.

ENG 42/2 in 21 overs: Siraj to Crawley. OUT! High drama as Kohli's review gets India the breakthrough this time! Two similar deliveries with contrasting outcomes in the over. Siraj's first nip-backer beats through Crawley but Kohli is excited and goes for the review. Replays suggest daylight between bat and ball and it's a poor review from the skip. Two deliveries later Siraj returns with another similar delivery off the length and it checks through Crawley's defense again.  The umpire denies a faint shout from the slips but Rishabh Pant is confident off the edge and nudges Kohli to go for the review and boy, that's a big one! Crawley gets and inside-edge and he's on his way here.  Zak Crawley c †Pant b Mohammed Siraj 27 (68b 4x4)

ENG 41/1 in 20 overs: Thakur offers width and goes short this time. Crawley nonchalantly pummels it past square and gets another boundary to continue to slowly cement his innings.

ENG 37/1 in 19 overs: Siraj's length is getting better by each over. He tails the ball in off the length and keeps Sibley rooted back in his crease to fend off the nagging deliveries.

ENG 37/1 in 18 overs: Thakur with another maiden. Fairly simple set-up from Thakur to begin his spell here. He continues to hit the length and push the ball away, offering a couple of tempters to Crawley along the way.

ENG 37/1 in 17 overs: Siraj continues to tail the ball into the batters. Crawley and Sibley have certainly got themselves set to a firm base here and it's been a frustrating little period for India's pacers who have beaten both of them on numeours occasions with some fine bowling in the channel outside off-stump.

ENG 33/1 in 16 overs: Thakur starts off with a beauty! Beautiful shape for Thakur as he wafts the ball gently away from Crawley who is beaten again.

Shardul Thakur replaces Shami

ENG 33/1 in 15 overs: Siraj gets his line right this time and just two runs come off the over. Sibley continues to play the waiting game.

ENG 31/1 in 14 overs: Oh, Shami! An absolute stunner off length, nips in and pierces through Crawley's defense! Deserves a wicket for his fiery push from this end all morning.

ENG 29/1 in 13 overs: An overambitious start for Siraj as he attempts to draw the batter forward and goes for the fuller delivery. Crawley has another freebie at his disposal and he puts it away with ease through the covers for four right before the players move for Drinks.

Mohammed Siraj replaces Bumrah

ENG 24/1 in 12 overs: Shami continues to attack the stumps and Sibley is peppered with deliveries all over the length. Shami finishes with a fuller delivery that surprises Sibley and the inside-edge clips on his back thigh to inflict some pain.

ENG 24/1 in 11 overs: A jaffa from Bumrah! How is Crawley still out there? Bumrah comes up with a stellar delivery that hits the length and zips in sharply. The ball cuts Crawley's defence in half and sneaks through above the off-stump to Pant.

ENG 22/1 in 10 overs: Relentless push from Shami as always from one end. Shami continues to beat Sibley's edge time and again and the opener is placing himself into a quiet, dead-bat defence mode.

ENG 20/1 in 9 overs: Crawley grows in confidence as he drives comfortably through the covers once again. Bumrah is a shade out of radar as he offers a couple of fuller deliveries and England has managed itself to three boundaries in the last three overs.

ENG 16/1 in 8 overs: The batters deftly move out of a corner. Shami attempts to initiate the drive but goes a tad too full with the ball moving in to Sibley. Sibley shuffles and puts it instantly past the long leg fielder for another boundary.

ENG 12/1 in 7 overs: First boundary for England as Crawley pounces on Bumrah's fuller delivery. He musters the confidence to drive and indeed does it well with a pronounced front-foot push through extra cover for four.

ENG 8/1 in 6 overs: Shami varies his length for the first time here as he offers a couple of short deliveries to Crawley. Crawley takes it from a awkward length off his hip and survives as the ball scurries out of danger down the legside.

ENG 6/1 in 5 overs: Bumrah is virtually unplayable at the moment. Drive and you're a goner as Bumrah continues to drill the ball in sharply. The ball angles in just enough to tempt the batters into uncertainty outside the off-stump. Crawley does well this time by keeping low and pushing forward the ball straight down the ground for a couple of runs.

ENG 2/1 in 4 overs: Shami with a couple of corkers! He gets the ball to tail in right outside the off-stump to test Sibley. Shami beats the edge again by a whisker and piles on the pressure on the two at the crease. A full ball gets Sibley to drive the ground off the last ball but Shardul Thakur does well to protect a boundary at mid-on.

ENG 1/1 in 3 overs: Bumrah continues to stun the batters with a strong line of attack. Some prodigious inward movement off the seam is on display as Crawley flinches away a couple of times. A gentle push down the ground helps him open England's scoreboard to complete the over.

ENG 0/1 in 2 overs: England is yet to open its account.  Shami is off to a top start as he gets some gentle shape away from Sibley. A couple of beauties outside the off-stump beats through Sibley as both seamers are troubling the batters from ball one.

Mohammed Shami from the other end

2021-08-04T100915Z521954730UP1EH840S7C0LRTRMADP3CRICKET-TEST-ENG-INDJPG
What a way to return to Test match cricket, BOOM!
 

ENG 0/1 in 1 over: Bumrah to Burns. OUT! Plumb in front! Over the wicket to start against the left-hander and Bumrah is on the money from ball one! A couple of deliveries move away from Burns before Bumrah surprises with a sharp nip-backer. The ball hits the length and straightens to move through Burns' defense and there's surely no doubts whatsoever for the umpire on that one. Cracking start for India and Bumrah. Rory Burns lbw b Bumrah 0 (5b)

England openers Rory Burns and Dominic Sibley at the crease. Bumrah with the Dukes for India.

Test Match cricket is back and here we go!

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The teams line-up for the national anthem. England players wear T-shirts with a message: "Cricket is a game for everyone." Moments away from the start.

2021-08-04T095901Z1307631595UP1EH840RQA0CRTRMADP3CRICKET-TEST-ENG-INDJPG
England players with a fine message at the national anthem.
 

Well, well! That's a bold call from Virat Kohli at the Toss as India's premier spinner Ashwin is sacrificed for the sake of balance and a deeper batting line-up. Mohammed Siraj, the fiery seamer has a look in as well as Ishant Sharma is reported to have a minor injury concern.

TOSS: England wins the Toss, opts to bat first

Virat Kohli : Last time England chose to bowl first here, and we would have wanted to bat first as well. We would look to get in with the ball in the first session, and a few early breakthroughs will be handy. There is a bit of a change up top, KL Rahul comes in. Our bowling combination is: Bumrah, Shami, Thakur, Siraj and Jadeja as the spinner. You could call it an accumulation of all the hardwork we have put in over the years. The opportunity to win in England and Australia in the same year is rare. To get opportunities in such times to play and play in front of crowds as well, we are grateful.


Joe Root
: We're going to bat first. It looks like a reasonable wicket, a little bit of movement. If we get off to a good start in the first hour, we could capitalize. Always exciting to play a big series like this. And hopefully we could perform really well. Jonny Bairstow comes back, Sam Curram comes in as well. It has been so long since we last played. Jack Leach unfortunately misses out; a very tough decision. You've got to pick the best team to pick 20 wickets. As you progress as a Test player, there comes the responsibility and there is an opportunity for the guys to take what Ben Stokes has left in his absence.


Moments away from a big Toss
to start off proceedings for a long, gruelling series!

2:51PM IST: UPDATE: Ishant Sharma seems to be out of the first Test at the moment. Not conclusive yet as we see Bumrah, Shami and Shardul having a brief run-ins in practice now. Jonny Bairstow is handed a special cap to commemorate his 75th Test for England.

2:46PM IST: Beaming sunshine and Test cricket's here.

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Huddle, up and ready!
 


2:10PM IST: Records and stats

 

1:45PM IST: The records in England have been against India for close to a decade now in Tests. Can Kohli's men reinvent themselves to stage a historic series win?

 



PREVIEW

It's been over a month since India's in the final of the inaugural ICC World Test Championship (WTC). While Kane Williamson's New Zealand tasted success after an endless wait, Virat Kohli’s men quietly dispersed for a short break in the UK before regrouping in Durham for a brief practice stint.

India has had a torrid run in whites in England for nearly a decade now and Kohli's men will be well aware of the stats and numbers before reigniting the second edition of the World Test Championship on Wednesday. The home side led by Joe Root, however, aren't seemingly poised as the firm favourite this time. England's batting lineup has been a pale shadow of its limited-overs self for some time now and Root will be aware of the challenge the Indian seamers can pose for his side if they get in the 'zone'. Add to that the loss of the 'Big Ben' Stokes who will be out of the first two Tests at least as he opted for a break owing to mental health concerns.

READ:

Stokes' absence could well be a key factor in tilting the cards slightly in India's favour as the man is a proven tormentor with both bat and ball. With the absence of Jofra Archer and Chris Woakes due to injuries, a lot is riding on the veteran duo of Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad as well. Could it be a bit of a problem for the host? Yes, but young guns like Sam Curran and Mark Wood are well with a chance to stutter India - after all young Curran came to the fore and thumped India back in 2018 - so Kohli & Co. isn't having it easy this time either.

READ:

 

The Indian batters were well exploited in the WTC final as the Kiwis exposed multiple chinks in each of them. A case to rise to the occasion is here as the stakes are high as always in England.

What's at stake

  • With the five-match Test series marking the commencement for the second edition of the WTC, the no.2 ranked Indian side will be taking on the fourth-ranked England side in a tussle for a total of 60 points - each Test win awarding 12 points, six for a tie and four for a draw. 
  • Besides the championship points at stake, India and England will be vying for the Pataudi Trophy that was established for the time in 2007 in honour of Iftikhar Ali Pataudi (the only player to feature for both England and India in Tests) and his son Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi who remains to date as India’s youngest-ever Test captain.
  • The upcoming series marks the fifth edition of the Pataudi Trophy since 2007. Rahul Dravid’s Indian side won the inaugural edition before England dominated the next three series in 2011, 2014, 2018 - convincingly winning each of them.

The experts and pundits have had their say. Here are a few of them to keep you in the loop ahead of the series opener:


Full Squads


WHERE TO WATCH IND VS ENG 1st TEST LIVE?

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