aAfter all the waiting, the re-arranged fifth Test between England and India finally started yesterday in Edgbaston and what it was like on day one.
England’s Ben Stokes completed their run of New Zealand’s winning streak to cut the Tour down to 98-5, and James Anderson and Matthew Potts were especially great on either side of a two-hour rain break during the lunchtime.
But then it turned to Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja’s show as the duo put together 222 runs – an India record for sixth wicket in Tests against England – to pull their team back into the day.
The wicketkeeper Pant 19 crashed fours, fours and sixes, taking 89 balls to hit the hundreds before eventually dropping for 146 after cutting Joe Root’s spin to slip. But Jadeja remained undefeated at 83 as India closed in at 338-7 with a chance for more rounds this morning.
However, England assistant coach Paul Collingwood insisted his team would not be intimidated by chasing a run if the sum of the other four innings required it.
England chased a total of 250 in the fourth innings on three occasions in their 3-0 win over New Zealand.
“We are not afraid of what we need to chase in the fourth rounds,” Collingwood said. “The way we played in the three games against New Zealand showed that we are not surprised by what the opponent will get in the first rounds.
“We don’t play traditional Test cricket. We try to be as attacking as possible. We want to be on the more aggressive side of the streak. If we feel we can take an early wicket with some moisture on the field, you might be ahead of the game.”
India is chasing its first test series win in England since 2007 after the final test was postponed last September due to Covid-19 cases among tourists’ backroom staff. India is currently leading 2-1.