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The pitch at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad graciously relented to allow the pacers some assistance on Day 1 of the 4th Test between India and England.
Ishant Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah bowled a grand total of 11 overs in the 3rd Test at the same venue, and this number has already been eclipsed in the first session. Although Bumrah is no longer part of the squad, his replacement Mohammed Siraj and pace partner Ishant bowled incisively in the first hour.
The standout passage of play in the first session was Siraj's superb spell to Joe Root. The England captain came in with his team precariously placed at 15/2, and negotiated two balls of Axar Patel before coming up against seam.
What followed was 7 balls of absolute magic from Mohammed Siraj, reminiscent of his pace partner's famous battle with Ricky Ponting at the WACA in 2008.
Balls 1, 2, and 3: Siraj dangles the ca-Root
Siraj started off superbly, getting a back-of-a-length ball to kick off the pitch and move away from the right-hander. Root hung his bat out in hope more than anything else, with the ball whizzing past the outside edge and settling in the mitts of Rishabh Pant behind the stumps.
The second ball from Siraj was much of the same, but Root was wiser to the task this time. He cautiously watched the ball as it pitched, seamed away off the few blades of grass left on the pitch, and found itself enveloped by Pant's gloves once again.
Root couldn't resist the temptation for long, though. The third ball threatened to kiss the outside edge once again, and the England skipper had to hastily - almost as an afterthought - withdraw his bat from the line.
Balls 4 and 5: Siraj goes down a different Root
Having set Root up with three out-swingers, Siraj found it prudent to send down a couple of in-dippers. Root was alert to the first delivery, jumping onto the backfoot and watchfully defending it.
The second ball, however, certainly took him by surprise. Siraj cranked up the pace by almost 10 kmph, spearing in a shortish delivery at 141 clicks that seamed viciously back into Root. The England No. 4 thrust his bat out belatedly, but only saw the ball thud into his thigh pad after cutting him in half.
Balls 6 and 7: Root-ed to the crease
The sixth ball, the last of Siraj's over, caught everyone off guard. He dug it in short, zoning in on the badge on Root's helmet. The England skipper was taken by surprise, but managed to skew it away off the top-edge to the fine-leg boundary.
The delivery served as the perfect pre-cursor to Siraj's seventh and final ball to Root. With the bumper fresh in his mind and having downed a few drinks before the over, the 30-year-old hung back in the crease, waiting for the inevitable back-of-a-length delivery.
Siraj sprayed it in full. The ball tailed back in late, evading the desperately cast bat and cannoning into the pads. Umpire Nitin Menon had no hesitation in sounding the death knell as Root walked off the field disconsolate. On a positive note, though, he didn't take a review with him.
You can catch a video of the dismissal here.
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