England captain Joe Root scored a brilliant century to rescue his team from a precarious position on the first day of the fourth Test against India in Ranchi. Root’s 31st Test hundred, and his record 10th against India, helped England recover from 112-5 at lunch to reach 302-7 at stumps. He was well supported by Ben Foakes, who made 47, and Ollie Robinson, who was unbeaten on 35. India’s pace bowlers Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj shared five wickets, while spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja took one each.
England lose early wickets after opting to bat
England won the toss and decided to bat first on a pitch that looked dry and cracked. However, they soon found themselves in trouble as India’s new-ball bowler Akash Deep struck three times in his first spell. He dismissed Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope in quick succession, all caught behind the wicket. Duckett was caught by wicketkeeper Jurel off a thin edge, while Crawley and Pope were both trapped lbw by inswingers. Crawley was unlucky to be given out as he had inside-edged the ball onto his pad, but England had no reviews left after wasting one on Duckett. Pope was out for a duck, leaving England reeling at 47-2.
Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root then tried to rebuild the innings with a 62-run stand for the fourth wicket. Bairstow was aggressive, hitting seven fours and a six in his 38, while Root was more cautious, playing himself in. However, just when they seemed to have weathered the storm, Bairstow was out lbw to Ashwin, who got one to straighten from round the wicket. Bairstow reviewed the decision, but it was in vain as the ball was hitting the top of middle stump. England were 109-4 and in danger of being bowled out cheaply.
The situation worsened when Ben Stokes, who had scored a century in the previous Test, fell for just three. He was lbw to Jadeja, who got one to skid on from over the wicket. Stokes reviewed the decision, but it was also in vain as the ball was clipping the leg stump. England went to lunch at 112-5, with Root on 28 and Foakes on 4.
Root and Foakes lead England’s fightback
After lunch, Root and Foakes showed great application and resilience to frustrate the Indian bowlers. They batted with patience and skill, rotating the strike and putting away the loose balls. Root reached his fifty off 117 balls, while Foakes played some fluent strokes on both sides of the wicket. They added 100 runs for the sixth wicket, taking England past 200. India had a chance to break the partnership when Foakes edged Siraj to slip, but Jadeja dropped a low catch. Foakes made India pay for the miss, reaching his second Test fifty off 88 balls.
However, Siraj got his revenge soon after, as he induced another edge from Foakes, which was taken by Jadeja at slip. Foakes was out for 47, ending a vital stand of 107 with Root. England were 225-6 and still in a precarious position. Root then found another ally in Robinson, who showed good temperament and technique to support his captain. Root reached his century off 187 balls, with a flick to the leg side off Deep. It was his first Test hundred since August 2021, and his third in India. He celebrated with a fist pump and a hug from Robinson, who also played some confident shots. They added 77 runs for the seventh wicket, taking England past 300. India took the second new ball in the 81st over, but could not separate the pair before stumps. Root was unbeaten on 112, while Robinson was on 35. England ended the day on 302-7, with Root and Robinson having batted out the final session without losing a wicket.
India rue missed chances and reviews
India will be disappointed with their bowling and fielding performance on the first day. They had England on the ropes in the first session, but let them off the hook in the next two. They also wasted their reviews, which cost them the wicket of Crawley. Deep was the pick of the bowlers, with figures of 3-63 in 18 overs. He bowled with pace and swing, and troubled all the batsmen. Siraj was also impressive, with 2-68 in 19 overs. He bowled with aggression and accuracy, and got some reverse swing in the second session. Ashwin and Jadeja were economical, but not very threatening. They bowled 49 overs between them, taking one wicket each. Ashwin had figures of 1-66 in 27 overs, while Jadeja had 1-60 in 22 overs. India also dropped two catches, both by Jadeja at slip. The first one was off Foakes, who went on to make 47, and the second one was off Root, who was on 94. India will hope to wrap up the England innings quickly on the second day, and bat better than they did in the third Test, where they were bowled out for 78.
