Barring a final over blotch with skipper Kohli's dismissal, India has dominated day one from the first ball. As England failed to read through the green veil of the Motera wicket, Joe Root went in with pace-thronged attack. Batting first, his lack of understanding has come to haunt the Englishmen with a gun Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin cracking through the English batting-order. In an innings that ended before dawn, England bundled out for a paltry 112 as India set up for a brawl under lights.
Anderson and Broad failed to deliver the goods as first-up as the finesse and solidity of Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma saw through the first phase. However, with a couple of changes, India lost Gill (11) and Pujara (0) in quick succession. A classic Rohit Sharma soon joined with Virat Kohli (27) as the pair strode India within touching distance of England's total before Jack Leach castled him.
It was once again, Rohit Sharma save the occasional glitches, who has looked head and shoulders ahead of the rest on a tricky surface. With Ajinkya Rahane for company, Rohit (57*) will aim to go bag to reduce India's chances of batting again on this pitch. A hundred tomorrow would also mean the destruction of several records. Catch us tomorrow afternoon as we join you live for Day 2.
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India 99/3 after 33 overs: STUMPS | Jack Leach to Kohli. OUT! Possibly the last over for the day and Leach has his man. Kohli jags the ball back to the stumps from outside off as he surprisingly moves to back and leg to attempt a cut. Leach's brilliance prevails as he dismisses the Indian captain for the first time. Virat Kohli b Leach 27 (58b 3x4)
India 91/2 after 31 overs: Rohit survives again, barely. Leach has pinned down Kohli and Rohit and this time the Indian opener has no answers to his line. Leach beats the edge as Rohit lunges forward. Foakes snaps the bails in a flash and third umpire is called upon. The reviews suggest that Rohit is lucky to have had his feet down in time for beating Foakes is no mean feat. Rohit seems a bit restless as he attempts a sweep off a full ball outside off to quell a temporary block in runs.
India 91/2 after 30 overs: Misery for England as Pope drops Kohli
. After nearly dismissing Rohit with a spectacular diving effort at short leg in the previous, Pope has dropped a sitter at gully. Anderson finds the near improbable outside edge off Kohli and Pope's moment of brilliance is stifled with a horrendous drop.
India 89/2 after 28 overs: 50-run stand between Rohit and Virat. A few quite few overs sneaked in by Leach and Stokes. Fair to say, Leach has kept Kohli quiet in particular as he has received some serious turn here in the last session. Kohli's supreme defense enables him to fend off the impending threat with ease.
India 83/2 after 25 overs: Rohit Sharma brings up his fifty of 63 balls! A typical Rohit knock as he bode his time at the crease before cruising through the ranks. Once again, a touch apart from most batsmen on show today and the elegant opener has set up the day for India. Stokes, however, nearly snapped Rohit as a thick edge flew through the vacant slips cordon to the boundary.
India 72/2 after 23 overs: Kohli finds his touch. Stokes continues dish in the shorter deliveries and Kohli tries his inimitable pull and fails to time it. Stokes persists with the length and the skipper finally unleashes the trademark pull to the boundary.
Ben Stokes into the attack.
India 51/2 after 20 overs: Rohit survives by a matter of inches! Leach loops one in slower through the air and Rohit steps down to push it but misses. The ball hits the pads and Root goes up for the review. The review suggests that Rohit has survived by a whisker as the ball misses the leg-stump by a few inches. Surprising bounce on the ball has aided Rohit this time around.
India 47/2 after 19 overs: Archer continues to bang the ball hard and some have manage to sneak low onto Kohli who seems to be a tad uncomfortable at the moment.
India 34/2 after 16 overs: Leach to Pujara. OUT! Pujara out for a duck! Leach goes through Pujara's defense to hit the pads. Leach drifts it into middle and gets to straighten and Pujara falls for it. No doubts for Anil Chaudhary as he raises his finger instantly. Excellent over from Leach as Virat Kohli joins Rohit. Pujara lbw Leach 0 (4)
Jack Leach has now dismissed Cheteshwar Pujara three times in this series.
India 33/1 after 15 overs: Archer to Gill. OUT! Gill plots his own downfall trying to go the Rohit Sharma way against Archer. Archer peppers a fiery short deliver and Gill goes for the pull off the front foot. Archer gets the top edge and Crawley gobbles the skier at short leg. Shubman Gill c Crawley b Archer 11 (51b 2x4)
Jack Leach replaces Stuart Broad.
India 31/0 after 13 overs: Rohit welcomes Archer with two cracking shots. Archer makes the mistake of bowling short to Rohit who pulls the ball down to the ground through a vacant mid wicket. Archer straightens the line and pushes a fuller ball and Rohit's crafty wrists cut through point for a sizzling boundary.
And right on cue Jofra Archer into the attack , replacing Anderson.
India 22/0 after 12 overs:
Surprisingly long haul for Broad with Archer waiting in the wings. Archer had put Gill and Rohit on the spot in the first and Root could have add a quick change with Broad who has squandered the opening spell. Gill, meanwhile, smashes a classic short-arm jab boundary off Broad through mid-wicket to add to the agony.
India 14/0 after 10 overs: Gill gets off the mark with a blistering boundary. Broad's ego gets the better off him as he tries to whip it in quick. Gill pounces on the wide delivery outside off to open his account after 27 balls.
14-0 is India's lowest score after 10 overs of a Test innings since JAN 2018 - the joint-lowest in Tests in India since 2006.
India 10/0 after 8 overs: Broad has a problem with the landing area
and play resumes after a short break.
Broad nearly gets Gill soon after as he hits the pads. Seemed out at first glance but umpire Anil Chaudhary denies Broad. Root jumps in for the review and his shoulders droop to see umpire's call on impact.
India 9/0 after 7 overs: Anderson on the money against Gill once again. Not the typical start from Gill as he finds himself stranded on zero off 21 balls.
India 9/0 after 6 overs: A gift from Broad right after resumption and Rohit creams it through covers for a four. Fuller delivery outside off right in Rohit's arc and Broad's poor control with the ball is into the fore once again.
And we head into the final session! Absolutely crucial session of play to stay in the hunt for England and the responsibility falls largely on their most revered duo, Anderson and Broad.
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Images from the ground suggest that the groundsmen are toiling hard to beat the dew during the break.
India 5/0 after 5 overs: DINNER BREAK | And Anderson nearly puts Gill to the sword with three fiery balls that nearly takes the opener away. Anderson has got the ball to tail in with some steep bounce that surprises Gill.
Rohit and Gill do the first thing with the bat right as they saw off the short spell ahead of the dinner break.
Surprising decline or rather shall we put it to England's repeated mistakes against a dynamic spin attack? A miraculous turnaround is the only way Joe Root and Co. are back in contention in the seres.
India 5/0 after 4 overs: Fiery little contest between Broad and Rohit. Broad surely upset with Gill's catch being overturned, steam in and tails the ball into Rohit who has employed a more compact and proactive defense. For a moment, the laziness was put away but Rohit brings it back for the next delivery as he caresses Broad's fuller ball down the ground for the first boundary of the Indian innings.
India 1/0 after 3 overs: Rohit gets off the mark with a single. Anderson then peppers Gill with a couple of in-swingers and the youngster looks way more confident with his forward defense.
India 0/0 after 2 overs: And Gill survives! A bit of a controversy there and Root and Stokes are not with the decision. Broad induces the edge of a nervy looking Gill that carries low to Stokes at first-slip. Stokes catches the ball below his knee and as his palm touches the ground, the ball seems to be touching the ground. The third umpire has overturned the on-field soft signal of out and that has not gone down well the Englishmen. Root shouts "UNBELIEVABLE" as he walks back to his position.
A slight delay as lights go off at one corner.
Broad into the attack from the other end.
India 0/0 after 1 over: Anderson on the money but fails to get Rohit driving. A couple of late leaves from Rohit takes an under-edge from his bat. Iffy start for Rohit under lights as England could savour the conditions at the moment.
Right, in walks Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill. England takes the field with Jimmy Anderson running in with pink!
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India has blunted the contest to a one-way affair halfway through the first day. Going into the Toss, Joe Root seemed to have put in a spot of bother as he was indecisive about the nature of the pitch. England castled by two classic spells of spin bowling, ft. Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin, are in deep, deep trouble. Root going in with three pacers have put Leach as the sole spin attack for England on a track that is turning squares as the contest deepens. Seems, like the preparations have been only for a bowl under lights and the visitor is rightly having it now despite the odd circumstances.
England 112 all out after 48.4 overs: OUT! Axar smashes the stumps and the Foakes castle has been breached. Six-fer for Axar Patel in a phenomenal performance. Foakes b Axar 12 (58)
Bumrah into the attack after time immemorial......
England 106/9 after 47 overs: Axar to Broad. OUT! Consecutive fifers for Axar Patel! Broad attempts the sweep and top-edges it straight to Bumrah at deep square leg. What a performance this has been from Axar! England has been pushed down the barrel with a sizzling bowling display by the spinners. To make matters worse, Root has opted for only Leach as the spinner within his side. Stuart Broad c Bumrah b Patel 3 (29b)
England 104/8 after 45 overs: Four maiden overs on the bounce. Axar and Ashwin have Foakes and Broad stranded as they try to dish out against the duo. No sense of tiredness in their lines and Kohli has no hesitation to have a quick change to clear off the innings.
England 104/8 after 42 overs: Ashwin to Broad. Two reviews in two balls and England and India both lose a review each. Ashwin hits Broad twice, one which just turns away to miss the off-stump while the drifter swishes past leg-stump. As for the moment, Broad survives.
England 103/8 after 41 overs: Ashwin and Axar race through the overs. The competition at the moment is between the two for a fifer as England is virtually the scapegoat for India's mini tussles at the moment.
The lights are out at Motera!
England 100/8 after 38 overs: Ashwin to Leach. OUT! Regulation proceedings for an Ashwin, left-handed bat and the slips. Ashwin comes over the wicket and rolls in a gentle off-spinner that bounces that bit to find Leach's outside edge. The ball moves quickly to Pujara at second-slips who completes a swift, low catch. And Broad comes in to send England sheepishly past 100. Jack Leach c Pujara b Ashwin 3 (14b)
England 94/7 after 35 overs: Axar to Archer. OUT! Genius stuff from Axar! Axar darts in one from a wider angle that hits the length and springs up to hit the top of off. Archer's feet went nowhere as they are glued, facing point. England's woes with the pink continue. Archer b Patel 11 (18b, 2*4)
England 81/6 after 29 overs: Axar to Stokes. OUT! England falling like ninepins. The ball spins from into Stokes from the length and the hefty man moves back into his crease. Stokes swivels his bat a little away from the line and that has plotted his dismissal. Axar has his third as England struggle towards 100. Stokes lbw Patel 6 (24)
England 81/5 after 28 overs: Ashwin to Pope: OUT! A CRACKER from Ashwin! Pope has no idea what has struck as he plays down the wrong line. Around the wicket, Ashwin has drifted it away from the right-hander and the ball rattles the off-stump. England well and truly in tatters. Ollie Pope b Ashwin 1 (12b)
We are back for Session 2! Ashwin continues his spell as Pope and Stokes regroup at the crease.
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England 81/4 after 27 overs: TEA | And Pope scrapes through to Tea with another cracking over from Axar troubling him. The pinpoint accuracy from Axar has troubled England through the session.
Ishant began the hunt with a brilliant new-ball spell that removed Sibley for nought. Axar, brought in the fifth over removed Bairstow off his first ball. Crawley who has returned to the squad was joined by the skipper Root in a brief recovery process before India snapped back. India's talisman Ashwin rose to the top with the scalp of the big fish, Joe Root. However, India's main today has been the 2-match old Axar Patel who has conjured the English batsmen to his tunes.
Crawley, who was cruising through with a brisk fifty was a victim to Axar's charm as the left-armer breached the England opener's defense with ease. Four wickets, 81 runs conceded in 27 overs - fair to say India have got it right first on a slightly mysterious track here.
England 80/4 after 25 overs: OUT! Axar strikes again!
And it is the well-set Crawley who is removed. A ripping drifter tails in to beat Crawley altogether. Not to be blamed, for Axar's precision has overpowered the England opener. A huge appeal from the Indians and umpire Nitin Menon raises the finger instantly. Crawley and Stokes deliberate about the review but goes against it. Massive blow for England at the tail end of the first session.
Crawley lbw Axar 53 (84b, 10*4)
England 74/3 after 22 overs: OUT! Ashwin picks the England captain! Ashwin persists after a wavering short spell from around the wicket and has produced the magic ball. Root makes a terrible mistake to rock onto the backfoot. In fact, back and a tad across between off-and-middle and Ashwin gets enough to turn after hitting middle. Ashwin hits plumb in line and Root goes for the review which is turned down after the third umpire highlights three reds. Root lbw Ashwin 17 (37)
England 67/2 after 19 overs: Fifty for Crawley off just 68 balls on a challenging track. And he brings it up in style with a lightning drive through the covers. What an innings has this been. Another full ball from Axar and Crawley eases through the drive. All elan from the youngster as England slowly recover from the early jolts. Root has been silent but firm at the other hand.
England 55/2 after 16 overs:
A bit rusty from Ashwin as he strays down the leg-side. No hint of turn as Crawley comfortably presses forward to push the ball away.
Ravichandran Ashwin into the attack.
England 51/2 after 14 overs: Crawley is motoring on!
Ishant makes the mistake as he dishes in the full balls and Crawley pounced on them with absolute disdain. Two more boundaries to his tally. Anything full and Crawley has punished them through the 'V' while the other lengths have kept him quiet. A slightly below par phase for India with the ball.
England 35/2 after 12 overs: Root gets going. After virtually acing five balls on the spot, Ishant comes from around the wicket and gifts a fuller ball to Root who creams it down the ground to bring up his first boundary of the day.
England 30/2 after 10 overs: Bumrah rocks one onto Root's hand. The skipper is put into some serious pain as the medics walk out. The uneven bounce has caught the batsmen into some trouble here while Zak Crawley at the other end has smashed any fuller delivery to the boundary.
Ishant's has been a wholesome rise!
England 29/2 after 7 overs: Axar to Bairstow. OUT! Axar strikes first ball!
A fine delivery from the local boy to start up as he crashes the ball onto Bairstow's pads. No doubts on that as he was an absolute goner. England goes for the review, only to have the obvious highlighted once again on the large screen. Massive jolt for the visitor early.
Bairstow lbw Axar 0 (9)
Surprise, surprise! Axar Patel into the attack.
England 16/1 after 5 overs: Delectable touch from Crawley! Ishant is strode away for two elegant boundaries. A little fuller from Ishant and Crawley aces the drive. Ishant follows it up with an inswinger and the youngster who flick it through mid-on for another cracking boundary. He has looked in his element since the first ball.
England 8/1 after 4 overs: Bumrah specials are on the way. Bumrah gets one to stand up from the good length that catches Bairstow by surprise. Millimetres, just millimetres away from the outside edge and a lot of 'oooohhs' linger through the cauldron.
England 3/1 after 3 overs: Ishant to Sibley. OUT! A classic delivery from Ishant outside the off-stump channel has Sibley's number. Ishant pushes one into that fine corridor of uncertainty that carries onto Sibley with a hint of extra bounce. Sibley has no choice but to go at it as Ishant's snorter moves a hint from him. The edge races away to Rohit at second slip who completes a safe catch as India strikes early. New man in is Jonny Bairstow. Sibley c Rohit b Ishant 0 (7)
England 0/0 after 2 overs: Probing over from Bumrah. The spearhead is back into the thick of things and inspects the vicinity with a couple of deliveries that move away from Sibley before he tails in the final delivery sharply. Sibley does well to press forward and defend an excellent ball from Bumrah.
Jasprit Bumrah is back and running with the new ball.
Well did Umesh's absence surprise you?
England 0/0 after 1 over: Some steep bounce for Ishant
first-up as he starts with a short delivery outside off. The ball climbs onto Pant who is caught by surprise. Good start from Ishant as he forces Crawley rooted onto the crease. A hint of uneven bounce as the fuller ball from Ishant keeps suprisingly low as it moves onto Pant.
England openers Zak Crawley and Dom Sibley walk out. Burns has been omitted from the XI as Crawley makes his way back in. Ishant Sharma with the ball in his 100th Test.
So we step into the action. As much as India downplays its qualification scenario for the World Test Championship final, that is the price that Kohli's men would pay for a fine England outing on this historic occasion. India opts for the extra spinner in Sundar while England goes for the extra paceman. A spectacle in the offing!
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Right, we are nearly there! The teams line up for the national anthems.
TOSS UPDATE: Joe Root has won the toss and elected to bat first.
FOUR CHANGES FOR ENGLAND: Anderson, Archer, Bairstow and Crawley come in place of Burns Lawrence Stone and Moeen
Right, and there's a tinge of history for the India's paceman. Ishant Sharma features in his 100th Test match. What an achievement.
TWO CHANGES FOR INDIA: Sundar, Bumrah come in place of Kuldeep and Siraj
PITCH UPDATE:
The pitch looks dry. We do see some cracks. The soil has come from Mumbai and is red in colour. The pace will be a little quicker compared to Chennai, feel the experts.
- If India loses this Test or the next, it will be out of the race for the final.
- England now needs to win both the remaining Tests to make the final.
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