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| Third test, Rajkot (day one of five): |
| India 326-5: Rohit 131, Jadeja 110*, Sarfaraz 62; Wood 3-69 |
| England: Still to bat |
| Scorekeeper |
Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja scored centuries to take India to 326-5 after England made an impressive start on the first day of the third Test in Rajkot.
When asked to play after losing the toss, England had the hosts 33-3 inside the first hour and could have made that 47-4 if Joe Root had taken an edge at slip when Rohit was on 17.
Pardoned, Rohit stroked a classy 131 in a fourth-wicket partnership of 204 with Jadeja, promoted to number five on his return from a hamstring injury.
After Rohit’s fall, debutant Sarfaraz Khan dominated a stand of 77 with Jadeja. Sarfaraz, with a first-class average of almost 70 and whose father was crying when he was handed his cap, scored a brilliant 62 off just 66 balls.
With Jadeja on 99 and Sarfaraz keen to take a single, Jadeja sent it back, too late to beat Mark Wood’s direct hit from mid-on.
Jadeja reached a hundred off the next ball, but Sarfaraz’s wicket was a gift for England, just when the day seemed to be moving away from the tourists.
Wood, on his return to the England team after missing the second Test, was the pick of the bowlers with 3-69, well supported by the miserly James Anderson.
India perhaps had the marginally better situation, but England fought hard. This is shaping up to be another exciting duel in a perfectly balanced 1-1 series.
England was left wondering what could have been
There is a long way to go in this match and in the series, but there is a lingering feeling that Root’s drop of Rohit could prove to be a vital moment.
England dominated in the first hour and India, who made four changes from the team that won the second Test, were tentative. The next two batsmen were Sarfaraz and wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel, both on debut.
Rohit still had to reverse Anderson being given lbw and survive another leg before yelling at Rehan Ahmed that he could have been given it. Together with the composed Jadeja, the captain built a partnership that could prove decisive.
England had taken advantage of some stickiness in the pitch in the early stages, but in the intense afternoon sun the surface began to look increasingly better for batting.
With temperatures set to reach 35 degrees over the course of the match, the pitch looks certain to deteriorate; The question is to what extent and how quickly.
Despite the heat, England’s efforts never faltered and India did not escape them. However, in the second Test, England could not find a suitable response to India’s first innings total and this time they face a similar test.
The old heads appear
This is an Indian batting lineup in transition. It has been 25 years since they starred in a series without at least one of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Virat Kohli or Cheteshwar Pujara.
As a senior batsman and captain, Rohit had to stand up after Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill and Rajit Patidar fell cheaply. He had his moment of fortune when he attempted to clip Tom Hartley down the leg side, with Root slow to move to his left, but then Rohit played a captain’s knock.
With his rubber wrists he cut his pads and barely scored a run in front of the infield on the opposite side. He hit three sixes off the leg-side spinners and reached his 11th Test hundred off a cut off Ahmed, celebrating in a subdued manner.
Jadeja, in his homeland, does not possess the grace of Rohit, but he is the leading all-rounder in world cricket. The left-hander hit the ball with his pads, bowled drives down the ground, bowled Root for six and got lucky with a top edge from Wood for another maximum.
Rohit was barely making progress when he fell to Wood’s short ball plan, giving way to Sarfaraz, who lived up to his great reputation with sweeps and fly balls from the spinners.
Jadeja’s surge through the 90s was perhaps the reason for the confusion with Sarfaraz, a big advantage for England at the end of the day. Jadeja’s sword celebration lacked his usual enthusiasm, but his continued presence is dangerous for England heading into day two.
Tireless Wood leads England effort
England’s decision to play two seamers for the first time in the series was justified. Anderson was a constant threat and Wood bowled tirelessly after his initial success with the new ball.
Jaiswal, who made a double century in the second Test, was made uncomfortable by Wood’s pace and was forced to slip. Gill, with a hundred of his own in Visakhapatnam, looked nervous and stayed back in search of a duck.
When Hartley’s short ball got stuck in the field and Patidar somehow flicked it to Ben Duckett at cover, England went on a rampage. Who knows how Hartley would have bowled had Root held Rohit, but from then on the Lancashire man was never far from a poor delivery.
Hartley wasn’t the only one who had problems. Root has not taken a wicket since the first Test and England might be asking too much for his spin. Ahmed was the best, he bowled for a long period after tea but was left wicketless.
Ben Stokes, the captain playing his 100th test, reviewed his plans. At one point, Anderson had four catchers on the leg side and Wood’s effort was rewarded when Rohit fell into the bouncer trap.
Even after such a great effort, Wood still had energy for his last act: finishing off Sarfaraz. England tried unsuccessfully to remove night watchman Kuldeep Yadav with the second new ball, which will bowl three overs on Friday.