What happened on Day 1 of the 1st IND vs ENG 2024 Test?

Team India dominated Day 1 of the first Test against England at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Thursday, January 25. After the visitors won the toss and opted to bat first, Ravindra Jadeja (3/88) and Ravichandran Ashwin (3/68) starred with the ball to clean up England for 246.

Axar Patel (2/33) and Jasprit Bumrah (2/28) also chipped in with crucial contributions for India. For England, skipper Ben Stokes stood tall with 70 off 88 balls. Led by Yashasvi Jaiswal (76* off 70), the hosts began strongly with the bat and went to Stumps on Day 1 at 119/1 after 23 overs. They trail England by 127 runs with nine wickets in hand.

Earlier, England got off to a confident start as their openers added 55 in just under 12 overs. Ashwin ended the threatening stand, trapping Ben Duckett (35) leg-before with one that skidded through. Ollie Pope (1) looked all at sea before nicking Jadeja to slip. England were three down for 60 when Zak Crawley (20) was caught by a tumbling Mohammed Siraj at mid-off off Ashwin’s bowling.

Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow batted assertively, adding 61 for the fourth wicket. However, Axar produced a beauty that spun away and hit the top of off to dismiss Bairstow for 37. Root (29) then fell to Jadeja, top-edging a sweep to short fine leg. Axar had his second when Ben Foakes (4) was caught behind off another one that spun sharply.

At 137/6, England were in danger of being bowled out for under 200, but Stokes, with some help from the lower order, pushed them to 246. The England captain was on 30 after 60 balls, but opened up by hammering Jadeja for three fours in the 57th over.

In the 61st over, he brought up his fifty with six off the left-arm spinner before clubbing the next ball for a maximum as well. Stokes’ fine knock ended when he was castled by Bumrah with one that jagged away to beat his outside edge.

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Jaiswal leads India’s response with the bat

Yashasvi Jaiswal came out all guns blazing. (Pic: Getty Images)

Responding to England’s first-innings total of 246, India got off to a flying start courtesy of Jaiswal. He whipped the first ball from Mark Wood for a boundary over square leg. Jaiswal welcomed debutant left-arm spinner Tom Hartley with a six over long-on and struck another maximum in the same over.

The left-hander kept finding the boundaries with ease and brought up a 47-ball fifty by cracking Hartley for another four to midwicket. The fine opening stand ended on 80 when Indian captain Rohit Sharma (24) gifted his wicket away, completely miscuing an attempted big hit off a tossed-up delivery from Jack Leach.

Jaiswal and a watchful Shubman Gill (14* off 43) then added 39* runs for the second wicket as India ended the day in the ascendancy.