Image Credit- AFP
India’s batting finally clicked on the opening day of
the third Test, but not before raising an early alarm. With two debutants to
come and trailing 33 for 3 on a surface rife with runs, India might be in
danger. However, India reached 326 for 5 at stumps thanks to a 204-run
partnership for the fourth wicket between Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja,
their first century stand of the series. While Sarfaraz Khan made a brilliant
debut, hitting 62 off 66 before being run out, Rohit and Jadeja both scored hundreds.
For the first time since their inaugural Test match in
1932, India was fielding two rookies in their top seven, and for the first time
since 1999, they had three players in the top seven who had played fewer than
two Test matches. In light of this, Mark Wood provided England an advantage on
Thursday when he dismissed Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal, the two
centurions for India in this series. Specifically, Gill took the outer edge
with a ball that swung in and then nipped away. In the opening six overs of a
Test innings, Wood’s wicket total was doubled by these two victims.
Tom Hartley’s ninth over, which took Rajat Patidar’s
front edge, may have been made easier by the early morning wetness that had
aided Wood. Jadeja had stated that England was not a tough team to beat the day
before the Test. The second-earliest he has batted in a Test innings and the
earliest in the opening innings, the team management ordered him to go out and
prove it from No. 5 in the ninth over.
It seemed sense to promote Jadeja in order to both
protect Sarfaraz, who was making his debut, and add a left-handed hitter.
Jadeja would have been forgiven for having a lot on his mind when he joined
Rohit after missing a Test match for what may have been the first time due to a
hamstring injury, but he batted with the clearest mind possible, simply
responding to the next ball in a classic manner.
At the beginning of the partnership, Rohit, who had
made a great start, had to take on unusual tasks. Wood used a deep forward
square leg, a deep backward square leg, and a nice leg to try to bounce him. He
had to wear one in his helmet grille, but for once, he elected not to hook
after considering the score and the circumstances. In an attempt to stop the
momentum, he lunged at James Anderson and once chipped one that was just out of
mid-on’s grasp. He flicked against the turn and in the air with Hartley. Joe
Root dropped an edge to slip on the second attempt, while the first yielded
four.
The team management would have long since hoped that
the hitters would avoid taking chances and would instead take advantage of the
loose balls that the inexperienced spin attack would undoubtedly dole out.
Similar to how Rohit mentioned his hundred. Now, it was happening effortlessly,
particularly for Jadeja. Wood’s pace had to be resumed by England. Jadeja
cleared long leg, who was 20 yards in off the rail, with a top edge. Rehan was
giving away gifts to Rohit. Without exerting much energy, fifty runs were
scored in 11 overs following tea. Subsequently, Rohit grabbed one from Wood
that was presumably too short to drag. He got huge on it and it skidded on
before being caught at midwicket.
With murmurs already circulating about his strategy
against fast, short-pitched bowling, Sarfaraz emerged. Mark Wood circled the
wicket, trying to bounce Sarfaraz. He casually avoided the first three. Wood
persisted on one more over as his spell was coming to a conclusion. After
ducking once more, Sarfaraz bunted the unexpected yorker down the floor.
After removing the pace barrier, Sarfaraz showed incredible skill while facing
spin, perhaps aided by Ben Stokes’ aggressive fields. A sequence of one-twos ensued:
a loft over the infield, succeeded by a long run into the crease to take a
single off the offering that looked certain to be shorter. Prior to anyone
realising it, Sarfaraz had achieved the equal second-fastest fifty off 48 for
an Indian debut.
At last, on 99, Jadeja tried to send Sarfaraz back
after calling him through for an improbable single. In the changing room, Rohit
hurled his cap in fury when he saw India continuing to leave the door open.
Jadeja reached the hundred ball the following ball, but as Sarfaraz had only
been gone for one delivery, the celebrations were muted. On the second day,
Jadeja returned unbeaten on 110 with Kuldeep Yadav at his side, knowing there
was still work to be done.