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KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja dominate, putting India ahead against England
India took control of the opening test against England at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium with fluent half-centuries from KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja, securing a substantial first-innings lead of 175. The Indian team, unbeaten in a test series at home since 2012, concluded day two with a commanding score of 421-7, responding robustly to England’s moderate total of 246 in the first innings.
Jadeja, at the end of the day’s play, stood at 81, having formed a partnership of 63 runs with Axar Patel, who was batting on 35.
On day two, as India resumed at 119-1, England opted for part-time spinner Joe Root as the opener, who quickly dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal (80) in his initial over. Jaiswal, after hitting a boundary off Root’s second ball, attempted a high return catch, which Root successfully grabbed.
Despite missing out on a potential hundred, Jaiswal expressed his focus on contributing to the team in his first Test in India. KL Rahul received a lucky break when Ben Foakes dropped a challenging catch behind the stumps after Rahul, yet to score, had edged Root.
Root’s fortune continued when Shubman Gill mishit a shot, but Ben Stokes lost sight of the ball due to the sun. Root, who had not bowled on Thursday when Jaiswal dominated, was surprisingly taken off after just four overs.
Left-arm spinner Tom Hartley, previously troubled by Jaiswal, redeemed himself by dismissing Gill (23) for his maiden international wicket. Rahul’s aggressive play, including two sixes in a Rehan Ahmed over, propelled India into the lead. Half-century partnerships with Shreyas Iyer (35) and Ravindra Jadeja further strengthened India’s position.
Leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed took the catch in the deep to remove Shreyas Iyer. The situation reversed as the English duo, Hartley and Ahmed, collaborated again to dismiss KL Rahul. Rahul, frustrated after pulling a half-tracker from Hartley to Ahmed, expressed his disappointment as he missed an opportunity for a hundred.
Celebrating his dynamic half-century, Ravindra Jadeja twirled his bat in his signature sword-dance style. In partnership with Srikar Bharat (41), Jadeja added 68 runs for the sixth wicket. Despite being twice given out (first caught at short leg off Jack Leach and then lbw to Joe Root), both decisions were overturned upon review.
Jadeja was also involved in a significant mix-up leading to the run-out of Ravichandran Ashwin, as both batsmen found themselves at the same end.
England’s bowling coach, Jeetan Patel, expressed satisfaction with the performance of their spinners on a challenging day. He emphasized that despite the spinning conditions, it doesn’t necessarily make the game easier, and sometimes the heightened expectation can make it even more challenging. Patel noted that the bowlers learned from the previous day and improved their performance on the current day. He mentioned that Jack Leach was utilized in shorter spells due to concerns about his knee, which had experienced two bumps in two days. Patel also expressed confidence that the bowlers would continue to improve throughout the series.
