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Team India ended Day 1 of the fourth Test against England in Ahmedabad firmly on the ascendancy, going to stumps at 24-1. Earlier in the day, the visitors failed to capitalise on winning the toss, getting bowled out for a modest 205, thanks to a clinical bowling effort from Team India.
Mohammed Siraj bowled his heart out, bagging the key wickets of Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow. Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel combined to snare seven England wickets, with the third spinner Washington Sundar chipping in with one.
England produced a better effort with the bat, but none of their batsmen converted their starts into a big one. James Anderson picked the wicket of Shubman Gill late in the day, but England know they have a mountain to climb if they wish to level the series.
On that note, here are the three talking points from an action-packed day 1 of the fourth Test between Team India and England in Ahmedabad.
#1 England produce a better batting effort
After the debacles in the last two Tests, England captain Joe Root wanted his players to be brave against the hosts. But for the first hour or so, it seemed that the visitors did not heed their captain's advice, as they slumped to 30-3.
England appeared uneasy against Axar Patel, who found success with his straighter deliveries. However, the visitors showed signs of life after the initial setback.
Jonny Bairstow (28 of 67 balls) got through a tough phase of play but was unlucky to find himself on the wrong side of 'Umpire’s call'. Ben Stokes (55 of 121 balls) looked the best of the lot, but the all-rounder was caught in the crease by Washington Sundar.
Ollie Pope (29 of 87 balls) dug his heels in and showed admirable patience to stay at the crease and combat the Team India spinners. However, Pope endured a freakish dismissal against Ashwin. With the batsman playing out of his crease to smother the spin, the ball lobbed off Pope's inside edge and his back pad to a gleeful short leg.
Young Dan Lawrence scored an eye-catching 46 but perished after trying to take the attack to Team India's Axar Patel.
England’s middle-order used their feet to good effect while also being cautious with their stroke play. Many used release shots to relieve the pressure, providing a template for the others to follow.
The visitors eventually got out for 205. In an innings where four batsmen got starts, a big contribution from any one of them could have taken the visitors to a more challenging first-innings total.
Expectedly, Team India spinners had a field day, taking eight out of the ten wickets to fall on the day. The fact England were still getting out to the straighter deliveries was disconcerting.
Although England showed signs of improvement from the last two Tests, they still fell some way short of a competitive total. It remains to be seen how they fare with the ball before taking on Team India’s spin juggernaut for the final time in the series.
#2 Seamers have a role to play on this wicket
Less than 30% of the overs bowled in the pink-ball Test in Ahmedabad were delivered by seamers. With the fourth Test being played at the same venue, the trend was expected to continue.
However, going by proceedings on Day 1, there is help on offer for the seamers. Both Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Siraj found swing and encouraging bounce on the track. Later in the day, even England's James Anderson found joy with the new ball.
Before the game, Deep Dasgupta had talked about how one of the ends had more grass than the other, which could end up assisting the quicker bowlers. The observation proved to be prophetic, as that end was used by Mohammed Siraj to great effect.
“When I started bowling from the Reliance end, there was a little extra bounce and good movement from that end after I switched,” said Siraj in a post-match interview.
The pacer picked up the prized wickets of Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow with great deliveries.
His dismissal of Joe Root came after a mesmerising set-up in the previous over before getting one to jag back in to trap the England skipper. The Team India pacer also got Jonny Bairstow in a similar fashion.
Unlike in the last Test, the fourth Test is not a spin show through and through. The surface has something in it for the seamers, and reverse swing could also come into play once the ball gets older.
Even James Anderson has made the ball talk, picking up Shubman Gill’s wicket and bowling five maidens on the trot.
While the spinners will still be the go-to bowlers, James Anderson, Mohammed Siraj and Ishant Sharma could play a greater role in this Test than they have done in recent games.
#3 Team India need to make their first innings count
Team India are yet to go past 350 during this series. The hosts will look to make their first-innings effort count in this Test.
For starters, the surface in this Test will only get worse as the game progress. Although it has held up better than the one in the last two games, it has shown a few signs of deterioration. Team India will look to bat the entirety of Day 2 and a bit into Day 3 to take a significant first-innings lead.
That would give the Team India bowlers enough rest while also giving the hosts a chance of wrapping up the Test without batting again.
A strong batting show will ensure Team India’s batsmen end the series on a high, as they will likely face a menacing New Zealand pace attack on a seaming wicket at Lord’s in their next Test assignment.
Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane and even Virat Kohli would do well to get some runs under their belt against an England attack looking bereft of ideas and short on confidence.
Additionally, a big first-innings from Team India will ensure that England will bat on a crumbling wicket trying to save the Test. In a series where Team India spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel have wreaked havoc, the beleaguered visitors will have their hands full.
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