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ENG beat IND by 31 runs | England vs India, Highlights And Cricket Score 1st Test Match
Pataudi Trophy, 2018
Date: Aug 01, 2018 Start Time: 15:30 IST | 10:00 GMT | 11:00 LocalVenue: Edgbaston, Birmingham
India will aim for a bright start to the gruelling and testing five-match Test series against hosts England when the first match begins at the Edgbaston Cricket Ground. India have not won a Test series in England since 2007, achieved under the captaincy of Rahul Dravid. And now under the captaincy of Virat Kohli, India are bracing up for a stern test in difficult English conditions.
In this long tour of England, India won the Twenty20 International (T20I) series but they suffered a set-back in the three-match One-Day International (ODI) rubber. Following the loss in the ODIs, India will look to make a strong comeback -- but in a different format which challenges every cricketer to the hilt.
However, India must take heart from the way they fought against South Africa away even though they lost the series 1-2. India were impressive in all of the three Tests but in the first two Tests, they let the hosts off the hook. In the third Test, India pulled off a brilliant win which should give the side confidence and belief that no matter what the conditions are, the team is capable enough to at least be competitive.
The biggest positive from the South Africa tour was the fact that the bowlers managed to pick 10 South African wickets in each of the six innings.
Moreover, many experts have tipped the current pace bowling unit as India's best in years and they will also look to make the best use of the seam-friendly wickets.
While Bhuvenshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah will be out of action for the first three Tests, Kohli will leave out one of Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav and Shardul Thakur in his fast bowling attack, which will be further boosted by all-rounder Hardik Pandya.
Considering it is a long five-match series, India need to be wary of the physical toll on the pacers and Kohli will have to utilise them smartly. The pacers will need to fire collectively and be ready at every opportunity because rotation will be a key factor.
India may field one spinner and that could be a big decision to make. The experienced Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have shouldered the responsibility to lead the spin attack for a long time but the inclusion of chinaman Kuldeep Yadav has made the issue interesting as the skipper is likely to go with any one of them.
Jadeja is expected to be the least-expected to be picked. What could favour Ashwin is his experience and his handy batting skills.
Kuldeep impressed everyone in the recently-concluded limited overs game against the hosts but playing a five-day game will be a completely different scenario and the skipper might be tempted to include him in the playing XI.
Meanwhile, the keeping gloves is likely to be handed to Dinesh Karthik ahead of young Rishabh Pant as the former carries more experience than the Delhi stumper.
India also have a couple of crucial calls to make in the batting department. The form and performance of top-order batsmen Shikhar Dhawan and Cheteshwar Pujara has been a worry, even as voices have been growing for Lokesh Rahul's selection to open the batting with Murali Vijay.
Dhawan struggled in the T2OI series before making scores of 40, 36, 44 in the ODIs. While he made a pair of ducks in the warm-up game against Essex ahead of the Tests to help his critics, Rahul made 58 in the middle order and 36 not out when given the chance to open in the second innings. Pujara posted scores of 1 and 23 against Essex.
Vijay, Kohli and vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane are proven performers in the overseas conditions and India will rely on them to put big scores.
To counter them, England will depend on their pace bowlers who will look to exploit the home conditions to the fullest. James Anderson (540 wickets in 138 Tests) and Stuart Broad (417 wickets in 118 Tests) have huge experience and they will be supported by youngster Sam Curran and all-rounder Ben Stokes in the first Test, captain Joe Root confirmed his line-up on Tuesday.
There has been a lot of controversy around leg-spinner Adil Rashid's comeback into Test after quitting the longest format two years ago. He has been picked for the first Test after an impressive ODI series outing.
Stokes will give the balance to the English team with his batting and bowling and will be eager to prove his value in the series.
He, along with, Alastair Cook, Root, Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow will have the bulk of responsibility of scoring runs. For the first Test which will be England's 1000th, the hosts have picked two young batsmen in Keaton Jennings and Dawid Malan -- both will be desperate to justify their captain's faith in them.
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England vs India Highlights And Cricket Score 1st Match - Test Summary
Time to bring down the curtain on this outstanding Test match. Both teams gave it their all and we are expecting more similar contests in the upcoming games. We have only started, folks. It's a 5-match series. The second Test is at Lord's, starting from 9th August, at 1100 local (1000 GMT). Don't forget to join us again. Until next time, goodbye and cheers!
Man of the Match, Sam Curran is overwhelmed and feels the atmosphere is quite special in the stadium. Feels glad that Ben Stokes got rid of Virat Kohli because everyone knows what a big wicket his is. Praises the Barmy Army for their continuous support and is happy he was able to experience it. Mentions he took a leaf out of Kohli's book on how to play with the tail, which is part of the reason why he was able to do well. He's grateful that he's able to share the dressing room with experienced campaigners like James Anderson and Stuart Broad, as they help him a lot.
England skipper, Joe Root says he feels thrilled to win and it was a fantastic team performance. Mentions it's an easy thing to do to criticize the batters, but the bowlers did extremely well. He mentions he told the guys to show some passion and keep their calm, and that would ultimately win them the game. Praises the atmosphere and states that he was feeling calm throughout. On Virat Kohli's wicket, he mentions that he didn't think the game was over by any means and didn't get ahead of himself. Is aware there's a lot of hard work left to do and is happy that both the teams were able to put up a good show for the fans. Applauds Sam Curran and says he doesn't feel any sort of pressure with the bat at all and hopes he can carry on. Just hopes that he doesn't get carried away. Calmly informs that they won't make any emotional decisions and sit down and talk about what's what later on.
Indian skipper, Virat Kohli says it was a great game of cricket for everyone watching. Is glad to be a part of such an exciting Test match. States England were relentless in the areas they hit with the ball and made them work hard for every run. Feels a little disappointed his team lost out but is happy with the fight his players showed. Will focus on the positives from this game and build on from that. Stresses that application is the key and that's something they must carry forward into the next contest. Emphasizes despite this, it's important to enjoy the game. Says if they had won, this knock (his ton) would have been his best, even better than the one at Adelaide. Reckons that another good partnership would have done the job for them. Ends by saying that Test cricket is the best format of the game and that he enjoys it the most.
Ben Stokes, completely overwhelmed by the situation, says on Day 3 they were magnificent with the ball. Praises Sam Curran's heroics with the bat as he think it was the turning point in the game. States Virat Kohli played brilliantly in the first innings, but since the ball was swinging, there was always a chance. Reckons it's a great start to this Test series. Adds he wasn't sure what to expect when he came into the game, but applauds India as a team and is expecting a tough battle as the series progresses. Wants to take all the confidence they can as a team and keep putting in better performances.
Phew. Let me catch some breath before I continue. There were never-ending heart-pumping moments. Day 3 saw Ishant Sharma running amok with a fifer, followed by Sam Curran's delightful knock. The dropped catches by Shikhar Dhawan hurt India badly as England managed to stretch their lead to 193. After that, it was over to England's bowlers in typical English conditions. India were soon reduced into half with their batsmen barring Kohli showing zero skill and application. Ben Stokes finished things eventually with a 4-fer and is caught on the sidelines for a chat.
This Test match had all the ingredients for a spicy movie. Root's knock on Day 1, Kohli running him out with the mic drop celebration. Sam Curran's swinging spell to destroy India's top half. Stokes-Anderson's top spells to put India in tatters. Dawid Malan dropping the Indian skipper twice. Virat Kohli hurting him and England with a crafty century. Not to forget his vital stands worth 92 runs with the tail.
This match was nicely poised up in the morning. 84 runs and five wickets - that was the equation. India's hopes were pinned on Virat Kohli. They lost Dinesh Karthik very early but kept on believing. England probably derived a strategy to have Kohli off strike by giving him easy singles. As a result, we saw Hardik Pandya facing more balls in that partnership. But once Ben Stokes dismissed the Indian skipper, the writing was on the wall. Although Pandya was still there, the pressure was immense and he eventually faltered. An Asian team yet again failed to register a win at Edgbaston but not before giving a scare to the Three Lions.
If next time your friend tells you that Test cricket is dying, either unfriend him or show him this match. Really fortunate to watch two of the best teams producing a gem of a contest. Take a bow, England. Commiserations, India.
Ben Stokes to Hardik Pandya. OUT! Stokes hunts down Pandya! ENGLAND WIN BY 31 RUNS! It's a back of a length delivery in the channel outside off, holding its line, Pandya could have left it alone but instead has a needless poke inside the line. Gets a thick outside edge behind to Cook at first slip who makes no mistake. Joe Root runs in joy, the English team is ecstatic as they take a 1-0 lead in the series.
Ben Stokes to Hardik Pandya. Good length ball angling into the batsman, Pandya gets forward and pushes it back off the inner half of the bat.
Adil Rashid to Umesh Yadav. Nopes. Bowls a flatter leg spinner on off, Yadav defends it off his back foot. This is not over yet.
Adil Rashid to Hardik Pandya. Full and floated on middle, forced down to long on for a run.
Adil Rashid to Hardik Pandya. Stays back and punches it down to long on. Turns down the single.
Adil Rashid to Hardik Pandya. Shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot.
Adil Rashid to Hardik Pandya. Flighted and full around off, Pandya swings his bat across the line, gives a mighty hack but gets it away off the inner half of the bat. It goes over mid-wicket and Anderson in the deep makes a diving stop near the fence. Saves two for his team.
Adil Rashid to Hardik Pandya. Tossed up ball around off, Pandya pushes it with the spin to the off side.
Ben Stokes to Umesh Yadav. Angles in a length ball around off, Yadav gets behind the line and blocks it safely.
Ben Stokes to Hardik Pandya. Stokes sprays it full and wide outside off, Pandya bunts it to extra cover and takes a single. Umesh has one ball to survive.
Ben Stokes to Hardik Pandya. Good length ball angling in, Pandya pushes it down to long off. Not taking singles.
Ben Stokes to Hardik Pandya. Shortish and outside off, Pandya stands back and slaps it to deep point. Comes out of the crease but then decides against the run.
Ben Stokes to Hardik Pandya. Pitches it full and outside off, Hardik drives it back with good timing but Stokes does well in his followthrough to stop the ball.