PICS: India vs England, Third Test, Day 1

Images from Day 1 of the third Test between India and England, at the Narendra Modi stadium, in Ahmedabad.

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India took the honours on Day 1 of the Day-Night third Test after spinners Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin teamed up to dismiss England for a paltry 112 inside two sessions and Rohit Sharma’s half-century enabled the home side finish the day on 99 for 3 wickets.

The opening day of the ‘Pink ball’ Test, at the Narendra Modi stadium, in Ahmedabad, saw 13 wickets fall, 11 to spinners.

Axar (21.4-6-38-6) grabbed his second five-wicket haul in his second Test while Ashwin (16-6-26-3) took three in England’s first innings, which lasted just 48.4 overs.

At stumps, India trail England by just 13 runs with seven first innings wickets in hand, and opener Rohit unbeaten on 57 and Ajinkya Rahane on 1.

Spinner Jack Leach accounted for two of India’s wickets -- Cheteshwar Pujara (0) and Virat Kohli (27), the latter falling in the day’s last over.

Jofra Archer got the other Indian wicket, dismissing opener Shubman Gill (11).

Gill, who was negotiating Archer’s hostile pace well, was the first Indian wicket to fall. He got an awkward delivery and was forced to play the ball uppishly. Zak Crawley took a simple catch.

Gill departed after scoring 11 off 51 balls.

Jack Leach then struck, claiming the big wicket of Cheteshwar Pujara for a duck.

There was a huge shout for LBW and it was given. Pujara did not even care to review the decision and India were reduced to 35 for 2.

Rohit and Kohli did well to steady the innings after the early wobble and build India's innings. However, both had a slice of good fortune as Ollie Pope gave them a 'life' each.

First Pope dropped Rohit off Leach at short leg with India on 91-2. 

Soon after, at the same score, pacer James Anderson suffered as Pope failed to hold on to an offering from Kohli.

But Leach gave England much to cheer about on a disappointing day by dismissing Kohli in the day’s last over.

The batsman got the inside edge and looked back to see the ball dislodging the bails.

India’s skipper walked back unhappy with himself after scoring 27 off 58 balls. 

Session 1:

Wily bowling by India’s spinners had England reeling at 81 for 4 at the tea break on Day 1 of the Day-Night third Test, at the Narendra Modi stadium, in Ahmedabad, on Wednesday.

Had Zak Crawley not come up with a gritty half-century, the plight of the visitors, who were outplayed in the second Test in Chennai, would have been even worse.

Having missed the first two Tests due to a freak wrist injury, the stylish right-hander's driving was elegance personified as he hit 10 boundaries in his 53 knock off 84 balls, but Ravichandran Ashwin (6-2-10-1) and Axar Patel (12-2-29-2) controlled the narrative on a pitch that is proving to be a spinner's paradise.

Ishant Sharma, playing his 100th Test, struck in his second over. The 32-year-old pacer got the edge of England opener Dom Sibley and Rohit Sharma at  second slip made no mistake with the catch.

Sibley was out without scoring and England 2 for 1 in the third over.

A change in bowling gave India their second wicket.

Spin was introduced as early as the seventh over and Axar Patel struck with his first delivery. A huge appeal for leg before against Jonny Bairstow saw the umpire raise the finger. Bairstow reviewed it, but replays showed the ball would have hit the stumps. Bairstow too walked back after duck and England were reduced to 27 for 2 after 6.1 overs.

However, Crawley was in no mood to play the defensive game and made most of what always is the best session for batting in a 'pink ball' Test.

The deliveries from Ishant (5-1-26-1) and Jasprit Bumrah (5-3-13-0) that tailed in were driven in the arc between mid-wicket and mid-on while the power in his cover drives was felt by every blade of grass on a fast outfield.

Against Axar, Crawley would either take a big stride forward to drive him through cover or rock back and punch him between point and cover region.

With the pitch offering turn and bounce in the first session itself, he understood that hanging around wasn't the best option and decided to go on an offensive from the start. His half-century had 10 boundaries and came off 68 balls as skipper Joe Root (17) looked solid at the other end, having driven Ishant straight back for a boundary.

Ravichandran Ashwin then bagged the big wicket of Root, having him dismissed just when he appeared to have settled down.

A huge shout for leg before wicket was given. Root went for the review, which showed the ball pitching in line and going on to hit the top of leg stump. He was back in the hut after scoring 17 off 37 balls and England 74 for 3 after 21.5 overs.

Zak Crawley, who had compiled a gutsy 50 earlier, was unable to carry on the good form. He was deceived by one from Axar, who was getting the ball to turn. Playing away from the turn, he was trapped plumb front.

A third leg before decision went India’s way and Crawley was out for 53 off 84 balls and England four down for 80.

Session 2

Left-arm spinner Axar Patel bagged six wickets as India shot out England for a meagre 112 in their first innings by dinner on Day 1 of the Day-Night third Test, at the Narendra Modi stadium, in Ahmedabad, on Wednesday.

Electing to bat after winning the toss, Joe Root's men looked as clueless as they were during the humiliating 317 runs defeat in the second Test in Chennai as the in-form spin combination of Axar and Ravichandran Ashwin spun a web around them.

They lost four wickets in the opening session before collapsing tamely in the second.

While Axar picked six wickets for 38 runs in 21.4 overs, Ashwin returned figures of 3 for 26.

Veteran pacer Ishant Sharma, playing his 100th Test, also chipped in with one wicket.

Opener Zak Crawley was England's top scorer with a breezy 53-run knock that came off 84 balls before he was trapped leg before by Axar.

Skipper Root's 17 was the only other notable contribution in the below-par total.

At the dinner break, India were five without loss. Openers Rohit Sharma (5 batting) and Shubman Gill (0 batting) were at the crease.

The second session started disastrously for England, Ashwin striking immediately.

The off-spinner started the proceedings in the second session with a slip and short leg, and the move paid off.

Ollie Pope defended the first two deliveries and was hit on the pads off the next. However, he was beaten off the fourth, the ball going on to hit the off stump. Pope scored just 1 off 12 balls.

Axar got his third wicket with another leg before appeal going his way.

Ben Stokes was struck on the pads and adjudged LBW. The batsman reviewed the decision, but tracking showed the ball would have hit the bail between middle and off stump. England were 81 for 6.

Soon it was four wickets for Axar when he bowled Jofra Archer, who had hit two fours in his 11 off 18 balls to boost’s England’s total to 93 before departing.

Things got worse for England as Jack Leach was dismissed by Ashwin following an excellent, low catch at gully by Cheteshwar Pujara.

The third umpire confirmed the catch was clean and Leach was out for 3 off 14 balls. Wicket No. 3 for Ashwin reduced England to 98 for 8.

Axar then bagged a five-four in successive Tests with the wicket of Stuart Broad, Bumrah taking a fine catch at the deep square leg.

It only got better for him when he bowled Ben Foakes, who laboured for 12 runs off 58 balls as England folded for 112 in 48.4 overs.

They lost their last six wickets in the second session. The last seven wickets yielded just 38 runs.