India made two changes to their line-up for the fourth Test against England and both Shardul Thakur as well as Umesh Yadav played a key role on the opening day of the match.
After winning the toss, Joe Root put India into bat first and after Virat Kohli got out on 50, the team looked in big trouble at 127/7 when Shardul Thakur walked out to bat. The all-rounder smashed a quick-fire 57 to help the team post 191.
England lost three wickets before Stumps which included both the openers but, more importantly, it included the wicket of in-form Joet Root. Umesh Yadav castleing the English skipper on 21 as the finished the day on 53/3, trailing India by 138 runs.
Indian Innings
With no change in their opening combination, Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul once again walked out to bat and they started well to reach 28/0 in seven overs. But that would be the last of the partnership as Chris Woakes, introduced in the ninth over, dismissed Rohit Sharma (11) with an absolute peach of a delivery. Nipping off the pitch with extra bounce from short of length, Woakes forced Sharma to play at it. The ball took the outer edge off the shoulder of the bat to wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow who will be donning the gloves for the rest of the series with Jos Buttler returning home on paternity leave.
KL Rahul (17) then fell in the 14th over when a full nip-backer from Ollie Robinson crashed high into the back pad. He took the review but replays showed the ball hitting the top of middle-stump and since the umpire's call was out, the opener walked back to the dressing room.
Cheteshwar Pujara stopped a run of seven maidens with a flick through square leg while Virat waited four overs to score his first runs of the match, a boundary to get off the mark and also complete his 23,000 runs in international cricket. The Indian skipper is the fastest to get to the mark, in 490 innings, with Sachin Tendulkar holding the record before him, with 522 innings.
Pujara though could not hang around the crease much longer as two overs later, James Anderson dismissed him for the 11th time in Test cricket. The pacer got an out-swinger to move away, in the 20th over and as Pujara (4) charged down to prod, he nicked it behind to Bairstow.
India were reduced to 39/3.
Strangely though the next batter to join Virat wasn’t his deputy Ajinkya Rahane, or even Rishabh Pant, but Ravindra Jadeja. The pair added 30 runs to the total before Jadeja was caught in the slips by Joe Root, off the bowling of Chris Woakes, for 10.
Virat Kohli completed his 27th half century but could not add another run to his tally as he was caught behind off Ollie Robinson. India were 105/5 and the next two players too could not disturb the scorecard much as Rahane got out on 14 and Rishabh Pant on 9.
India were 127/7 when Shardul Thakur walked out to bat. Thakur in fact was one of the two changes in the playing XI Virat Kohli made for this match with Umesh Yadav also coming in, in place of Shami and Ishant Sharma.
Thakur smashed the English bowlers around The Oval, hitting seven boundaries and three sixes. Along with Umesh, he added 63 runs off 48 balls for the eighth wicket and completed his half century as well. By the time he got out, he had added 57 runs to the tally and India were 190/8.
Bumrah was run out on a duck and Siraj got out on 1 as India were eventually bowled out for 191.
Joe Root walks after being clean bowled by Umesh Yadav on the first day of the 4th Test between England and India
(Photo: PTI)
England's Innings
The hosts batted for 17 overs before Stumps but it was enough for India to pick up two wickets, including the big one of skipper Joe Root.
Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed could not continue their opening magic from the last game as their stand lasted all of 5 runs with Jasprit Bumrah's delivery crashing straight into his wickets.
Hameed in fact faced 12 deliveries but could not open his account before becoming Bumrah's second wicket of the day- caught behind by Rishabh Pant.
England were 6/2 in 3.6 overs.
Joe Root looked in good touch during his 25-ball 21, in which he hit four boundaries, but Umesh Yadav, playing his first match of the series, castled the English skipper to end his stint in the middle.
England down to 52/3.
Dawid Malan and Craig Overton then ensured the hosts didn't lose any more wickets till Stumps as England ended the day on 53/3, trailing India by 138 runs.
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