India’s opener Yashasvi Jaiswal smashed a spectacular century while England’s debutant Shoaib Bashir took two wickets to leave day one of the second Test finely poised in Vizag.
The hosts made a timid start against England after winning the toss and electing to bat but opener Jaiswal (179no) struck his highest Test score as the hosts reached stumps 336-6.
Bashir (2-100) picked up the prized wicket of India’s captain Rohit Sharma (14) who was caught cheaply at leg-slip by Ollie Pope in the 14th over before striking again in the third session to dismiss Axar Patel (27).
Jaiswal provided plenty of resistance for India who are missing some key batters in Ravindra Jadeja, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli, smashing 17 fours and five sixes. He launched England’s Tom Hartley (1-74) for a six over long-on to bring up his first century at home and his second in six Tests.
Veteran seamer James Anderson (1-30) was the pick of England’s bowlers, alongside Bashir, as he bowled with incredible control to frustrate India’s batters and bring down their run-rate.
England took three wickets for 111 runs in the final session to end the day on a high as Rehan Ahmed (2-61) had India’s KS Bharat (17) caught at backward point.
Jaiswal impresses for India
Shubman Gill (34) provided some impetus sharing a 49-run stand with Jaiswal after India’s cagey start, but some excellent bowling from Anderson found the edge of Gill’s bat to leave the hosts 89-2 before lunch.
Anderson, who replaced Mark Wood, has taken a Test wicket every year since making his debut in 2003 and is playing in his 22nd consecutive year of Test cricket.
Jaiswal did much of the heavy lifting in his 90-run partnership with Shreyas Iyer (27) before Hartley broke the fourth-wicket stand with a delivery that stayed low and Iyer’s edge produced an impressive catch for Ben Foakes behind the stumps.
India’s debutant Rajat Patidar (32) made a positive start to his Test career picking up back-to-back boundaries when he reverse swept Joe Root (0-71) through gully followed by a cover drive to tally up three boundaries in total during his outing.
Patidar and Jaiswal added middle-order resistance against England’s spin attack as they pulled India from 179-3 to 249-3 after tea, adding 122 runs during the second session with only the solitary wicket of Iyer falling in the 51st over.
England’s spinners fightback
England’s Rehan Ahmed celebrates the wicket of India’s Rajat Patidar
Leg-spinner Rehan, the last one to be brought into the attack in the 60th over, managed to get through Patidar’s defences with a delivery that bounced and deflected back onto the stumps as the debutant looked to play it late.
Jaiswal remained India’s anchor and continued to stamp his authority on England after driving a half-volley from Joe Root to deep cover to bring up his 150 in style in the 77th over.
Patel and Jaiswal frustrated Ben Stokes’ side for 15 overs before the Indian left-arm spinner gifted Bashir another wicket when he attempted to cut but slashed the ball straight to Rehan at backward point.
Bharat slapped Rehan to backward point where Bashir repaid the favour for the leg-spinner and took a low catch as England finished strong in the final five minutes of day one.
Ravichandran Ashwin (5no) found a boundary off Rehan’s googly, successfully smacking it down to the wide long-on fence for four in the final over of the day.
Jaiswal: I’d love to get first double-hundred
India’s Shreyas Iyer congratulates Jaiswal on scoring a century
Yashasvi Jaiswal after his Test-best score of 179 not out on TNT Sports:
“I had in my mind that I had to play session by session and, if they were bowling well, just to get through that spell.
“I would love to double it up, keep going and play till the end for my team. I will try my best tomorrow.”
Bashir: Rohit as first Test wicket is ‘awesome’
England debutant Shoaib Bashir after taking two wickets on TNT Sports:
“I’d like to thank my family and God. They’ve supported me the whole way through, my whole journey – and I’ve had a lot of ups and downs.
“To make my debut here is very special, something you dream of as a kid. I’m so grateful.
“Rohit is such a good player of spin and so to get his wicket as my first is very awesome.”
Follow over-by-over text commentary from the second Test between India and England, in Vizag, live on skysports.com and the Sky Sports App from 3.30am on Saturday (first ball at 4am).
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Sophie Anderson, a UK-based writer, is your guide to the latest trends, viral sensations, and internet phenomena. With a finger on the pulse of digital culture, she explores what’s trending across social media and pop culture, keeping readers in the know about the latest online sensations.
