India 24/1 at Stumps on Day 1 of 4th Test after England are bowled out for 205

[sweep_shot]

India face last hurdle to WTC final as Australia pray for England favour
Ind v Eng, 4th Test, preview

Heading into the fourth Test against England, India cannot lose the series but still have plenty at stake.

Overview

India v England, 4th Test
Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
4-8 March, 9:30am local time

Both teams went into this series in contention to make the World Test Championship final but only one of them, India, can now make it.

Nevertheless, England have a huge role to play in determining who takes on New Zealand to be crowned the ICC’s first World Test Champions.

Only a series win will be enough to see India through to the final. A series-drawing win for England in the fourth Test would see the WTC final be a strictly southern hemisphere affair between New Zealand and Australia. Suffice to say, Justin Langer and Tim Paine will both have eyes on Ahmedabad.

While England have suffered bad defeats in each of the past two Tests, Australia’s hopes of making the final are well and truly alive.

England started this series with an impressive 227-run win in Chennai, which saw key contributions made from No.1 to 11 in the team. That victory came off the back of a 3-0 series win in Sri Lanka. Joe Root’s team know how to win in Asia. Australia need them to rediscover that this week.

Remember last time

In a match that nobody predicted, India beat England inside two days to claim a 2-1 series lead in the third Test, with left-arm finger-spinner Axar Patel leading the way.

Playing at the world’s biggest cricket stadium in his home state of Gujarat, Patel collected the best match-figures in day-night Test history.

On day one he took 6/38 as India bowled England out for 112. He picked up a wicket with his first ball of the match when he trapped Jonny Bairstow plumb in front.

On day two, after India was bowled out for 145, he repeated the trick by bowling Zak Crawley with the first ball of the innings. He finished with figures of 5/32 and a match haul of 11/70 – the most wickets ever taken by a bowler in a day-night Test.

There were a few positive notes for England in the 10-wicket defeat. Crawley’s 53 in their first innings oozed class, while Jack Leach took 4/54 in India’s first innings. There were also career-best figures for Root, who took 5/8.

England will be hoping at least two of those three things are cornerstones of a better performance in the fourth Test.

Look out for

Zak Crawley – 23 years old and playing in India for the first time, Crawley produced a first innings you simply had to be impressed by.

A pushed drive off Jasprit Bumrah for his first boundary suggested he was seeing the pink ball well. When he found the rope twice in the next over from Ishant Sharma it became clear he was a threat to India. He went on to hit 10 boundaries in his 83-ball stay and was the lone England batter to pass 20.

He fell for a duck in the second innings but there is plenty for England to be excited about in Crawley.

Axar Patel – There are threats left, right and centre from India. Rohit Sharma has been the series’ most consistent batter, Ravichandran Ashwin its most consistent performer and Virat Kohli has repeatedly threatened to dictate terms.

As good as the veterans have been, Patel will still be the centre of plenty of discussion in the England camp. Just two Tests into his career, the 27-year-old has already taken 18 wickets at 9.44, with three five-wicket hauls to his name.

Source: https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/2049374.

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[Napa]

Quite a dramatic deterioration in England's batting over the last 6 innings. They started off scoring 578, and now are down to 82!

Or maybe the Indian bowling has got better? Or the pitch?

As it will be the same stadium, hoping that the curator will produce another pitch that takes spin.

 

[jiduguravindra]

England only with three bowlers

 

[Romali_rotti]

Expect Eng to be all out of for around 120.


P.S. Just heard on news Saurav Ganguly will be the BJP candidate for Bengal and that he is leaving his post with the BCCI ?

 

[CanadianG00se]

Kohli has to have worst record with toss. I can’t recall when was last time he won back to back toss

 

[BreadPakoda]

Joe Root wins toss again. Does anyone have toss statistics for Root Vs Kohli?

 

[Raja111]

In the last 14 test matches between England and India, Kohli has won toss only twice and lost 12. that's some stats!!!!!!

 

[Ahmed216]

England should have dropped anderson also and played another spinner.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Englands luck with tosses against us incredible.

 

[Devadwal]

Lol 1st over of spin and they lose a wicket

 

[Devadwal]

Englands luck with tosses against us incredible.

Hope we win atleast 3 toss when we will tour England

 

[street cricketer]

Joe Root wins toss again. Does anyone have toss statistics for Root Vs Kohli?

Kohli has lost 12 tosses in the last 14 tests against England. He lost all 5 tosses in England last time. Unreal panautiness. I keep thinking this must be one of the most bizarre runs of bad luck in cricket history and surely must get normalised sometime later, but it only seems to getting worse. Surely Rahane needs to become captain only for this.

Hoping Kohli is saving some of his good luck for the series in England but I wouldn't hold my breath.

 

[MenInG]

Teams:

India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli(c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant(w), Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Siraj

England (Playing XI): Dominic Sibley, Zak Crawley, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root(c), Ben Stokes, Ollie Pope, Ben Foakes(w), Daniel Lawrence, Dominic Bess, Jack Leach, James Anderson

England have won the toss and have opted to bat

 

[WhenSultansBowled]

Yet another phainta awaits England

 

[Sanzcool]

Crawley gone, stupid shot, Axar again

 

[hoshiarpurexpress]

Horrible batting so far from England.

 

[kingusama92]

English batsmen are overthinking again.

 

[BreadPakoda]

Kohli has lost 12 tosses in the last 14 tests against England. He lost all 5 tosses in England last time. Unreal panautiness. I keep thinking this must be one of the most bizarre runs of bad luck in cricket history and surely must get normalised sometime later, but it only seems to getting worse. Surely Rahane needs to become captain only for this.

Hoping Kohli is saving some of his good luck for the series in England but I wouldn't hold my breath.

Should send Ashwin for the toss. He explained on his channel how he would change his call at the toss depending on the coin used. Smart guy.

 

[Sachin136]

Joe Root wins toss again. Does anyone have toss statistics for Root Vs Kohli?

Root has won 8, Kohli has won 1 (2nd test in this series).

 

[MP2011]

Anything faulty with the pitch as yet?

 

[BreadPakoda]

Anything faulty with the pitch as yet?

England is 19/2 so the pitch is faulty.

 

[hoshiarpurexpress]

Anything faulty with the pitch as yet?

Yes England is losing wickets.
If they win this match it is the best pitch in the world, else it is the worst one.

 

[MP2011]

Root all at sea in this Siraj over.

 

[MP2011]

England is 19/2 so the pitch is faulty.

Pitch may get better as the score progresses.

 

[MP2011]

Lucky Bairstow.

 

[MP2011]

Yes England is losing wickets.
If they win this match it is the best pitch in the world, else it is the worst one.

Let's see.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

So if England wins this match then Australia will reach the final of WTC lol. Basically England is playing for their arch rivals Australia in this match.

 

[MP2011]

Root gone to Siraj.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

England could have picked someone like Mark Wood instead of Lawrence.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

England will be all out before tea.

 

[MP2011]

Was already lucky not to get dismissed in Siraj's last over.

 

[pillionrider]

Roooot

Having some problems with pace and movement


And not just with his team selections

 

[MP2011]

Siraj's in dipper is awesome.

 

[Ahmed216]

Brilliant bowling from Siraj. What a cracker to uproot root

 

[jnaveen1980]

Superb bowling by Siraj. Wicket taking delivery. More than the first 2 wickets. Both were a result of insecure feeling

 

[MP2011]

Root has been pedestrian in this series post that double ton in the first innings of the first test when he had perfect batting conditions.

 

[Devadwal]

Now what will pitch expert say about all of theses three wickets ?

 

[jnaveen1980]

Lot of energy from Siraj.

 

[Devadwal]

England will be all out before tea.

Due to pitch?

 

[Nikhhil98]

Now what will pitch expert say about all of theses three wickets ?

Minefield from one end and prodigious swing from other . BCCI conspiracy

 

[Ab Fan]

Root also has failed in all innings except the flat patta in first test.

Fab five IMO:-

Virat Kohli
AB de Villiers
Steve Smith
Joe Root
Kane Williamson

 

[jnaveen1980]

Ben stokes is not calm

 

[jnaveen1980]

Wow..Domestic Indian team wod have batted better against the same line up. Actually seamers are the ones who bowl beautifully. Axar is getting wickets for free.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Lucky stokes. Fell short.

 

[Ahmed216]

Now what will pitch expert say about all of theses three wickets ?

Nothing wrong with this pitch. Accuracy from Axar made poor England openers insecure and then a snorter to remove root from Siraj

 

[Devadwal]

What a spell by Siraj on a rank Turner.

 

[WengerOut]

Root also has failed in all innings except the flat patta in first test.

Fab five IMO:-

Virat Kohli
AB de Villiers
Steve Smith
Joe Root
Kane Williamson

Steve Smith

Daylight

Kane

More daylight

AB
Virat
Root

 

[street cricketer]

Absolutely lovin this from Siraj.

Can't wait to see him in England with the Duke ball!

Root is going to get attacked a lot on his pads by Ishant, Siraj and Bumrah.

 

[BreadPakoda]

Ben wants Ashwin to bowl.

 

[Devadwal]

Where is Ashwin ?

 

[jnaveen1980]

Twice unduced edge.

 

[redmaverik84]

Siraj on Fire. Pumped up, bowling in the 140s and that immaculate length between full and short and with a mouthful to Stokes.

 

[Ab Fan]

Ashwin must bowl as Stokes is in.

 

[Ab Fan]

Steve Smith

Daylight

Kane

More daylight

AB
Virat
Root

Kane lol..

 

[Devadwal]

Good attacking partnership by England .

 

[B_Positive]

Steve Smith

Daylight

Kane

More daylight

AB
Virat
Root

I will put Virat with Kane, Smith is definately the best.

Smith> Kohli, Kane>>>> Root > Babar

Fab 5

 

[Ahmed216]

Root also has failed in all innings except the flat patta in first test.

Fab five IMO:-

Virat Kohli
AB de Villiers
Steve Smith
Joe Root
Kane Williamson

ABD
Smith
Kane/Kohli
Root

 

[Ahmed216]

I will put Virat with Kane, Smith is definately the best.

Smith> Kohli, Kane>>>> Root > Babar

Fab 5

Babar is nowhere close. Has scored 150 only once or twice

 

[Ab Fan]

England should have picked Archer rather than Anderson because Archer has pace and can reverse as well. I think this pitch looks pretty balanced in my opinion in terms of pace and spin assistance.

 

[Ahmed216]

England should have picked Archer rather than Anderson because Archer has pace and can reverse as well. I think this pitch looks pretty balanced in my opinion in terms of pace and spin assistance.

Anderson's spell on last day in first test was a masterclass in reverse swing bowling

 

[pillionrider]

Think Siraj got silly and carried away there. He might have actually settled Stokes more now which is dangerous. Stokes is also being helped by Kohli keeping Ashwin away from him

 

[Robert]

Surprisingly lift on this pitch. I was expecting another plowed field.

Darn, uppercut from Bowledstow over the slips...

 

[desi_launda]

Why is Ashwin not bowling?

 

[CanadianG00se]

Kohli’s idiotic captaincy is going to cost India dearly.

 

[hoshiarpurexpress]

Babar is nowhere close. Has scored 150 only once or twice

143 is Babar's highest test score.

 

[CanadianG00se]

Why is Ashwin not bowling?

Cause of Dumb Kaptaan who is bowling Ishant to help Bairstow and Stokes settled down. Kohli is dumb, let’s get Rahane full time captain.

 

[Ahmed216]

Think Siraj got silly and carried away there. He might have actually settled Stokes more now which is dangerous. Stokes is also being helped by Kohli keeping Ashwin away from him

Spot on. He went for the glory ball instead of trying to set him up

 

[Robert]

England have gone in with seven batsmen, and picked only three main bowlers plus Stokes and Root. So Stokes will be taking the new ball. Wrong team selection, defensive thinking.

 

[MP2011]

Stokes after initial hiccups, looking in mood to play a biggie!

 

[Romali_rotti]

This is brilliant captaincy by Kohli, he wants to give ENG a chance. Not bowling Axar and Ashwin in tandem is allowing the batsmen to get their eye in and settle...

 

[Ab Fan]

Anderson's spell on last day in first test was a masterclass in reverse swing bowling

Agreed but Archer has been more consistent.

 

[CanadianG00se]

This is brilliant captaincy by Kohli, he wants to give ENG a chance. Not bowling Axar and Ashwin in tandem is allowing the batsmen to get their eye in and settle...

I hope you’re being sarcastic. This captaincy is so bad that I really wish Kohli to get banned for slow over rate or something for WTC(if we make it). We are better without Kohli. His captaincy is overrated.

 

[Romali_rotti]

I hope you’re being sarcastic. This captaincy is so bad that I really wish Kohli to get banned for slow over rate or something for WTC(if we make it). We are better without Kohli. His captaincy is overrated.

You have 2 batsmen at the crease who have been nothing but shooting ducks in this series and have no clue how to play spin. However Kohli decided to pursue with the quicks longer than needed and make their stay at the crease more comfortable. Poor captaincy.

 

[shaz619]

Horrible horrible wicket! India to fluke another win against England, means naff all! But am happy for all the IT customer service reps who managed to get some time off work to watch this horror show, am ashamed this is on Channel 4 for free in the UK, India are single handedly putting everyone off the Cricket the same way the Great Khali forced millions of viewers to turn off their telly's in North America

 

[Devadwal]

This is really nice batting

 

[pillionrider]

Archer looked good in the last test he played. In fact, the best pacer. If England so badly wanted to play only one pacer for whatever reason, I'd have opted for Archer ahead of Anderson despite those great couple of reverse-swinging overs. You've got to be flexible on tours like this and not be stuck up on some bookish theories.

 

[MP2011]

Poor over rate from us.

 

[Justcrazy]

44 runs partnership, England need to extend it and get a big total here

 

[Devadwal]

If England can score above 300 then they have good chance to win this test from there

 

[MenInG]

ENG 74/3 (25) CRR: 2.96
Day 1: Lunch Break