The wait for India and England is finally over as both these powerhouses of International cricket clashed against each other in the first Test at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. Earlier, Ben Stokes won the toss and chose to bat first, with the team posting a commendable total of 246 runs before getting bowled out. Their skipper emerged as the highest run-scorer and the sole batter to achieve a fifty in the challenging Indian conditions. Amid the game, a pitch invader entered while the hosts were at bat.
A spectator who donned a Virat Kohli Test jersey, intruded onto the field to greet the Indian captain before the commencement of India’s innings on Thursday. The fan touched the opener’s feet before being promptly escorted off the ground by the security personnel in attendance. The crowd reacted with cheers during the entire interaction.
Following the intrusion, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar criticized the security personnel for their inadequate handling of such situations. The former India opener expressed disapproval of the security personnel, emphasizing that they seemed more engrossed in watching the match than ensuring stadium security.
Watch the video here:
The craze for Rohit Sharma is real A fan touched his feet ?? pic.twitter.com/Sqt0PbOvlz
— Ansh Shah (@asmemesss) January 25, 2024
England bowled out for just 246 runs
The English batters made a positive start, by putting up 55 for the first wicket until Ravichandran Ashwin dismissed Ben Duckett in the 12th over. Subsequently, Ravindra Jadeja struck, removing Zack Crawley and Ollie Pope, putting the visitors at 60-3. Despite a decent partnership between Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root, guiding them to 108-3 before lunch, the second session favoured the hosts, claiming 5 wickets and reducing England to 215-8. Ben Stokes and the tailenders managed to add some useful runs, scoring 105 runs in the session.
However, the innings concluded at 246, with the spinners Ashwin, Jadeja, and Axar Patel contributing eight wickets collectively. England’s struggles against the talented spin trio continued, making it challenging for them to make a comeback in the match. Skipper Ben Stokes showed maturity in his innings, but the lack of support from the middle-order batsmen poses a tough task for England’s bowlers in the second innings against the skilled Indian batters.
