4 things we learned from the first day's play in the England vs India test match
The first test match between England and India got underway at Edgbaston on Wednesday. This is going to be a 3 test match series and India are playing their first test on English soil since 2014. England finished the day with a respectable score of 285 for the loss of 9 wickets. 350 seemed to be the par score in the first innings on this pitch, but anything over 300 would be a fighting total.
England would also like to cross the psychological barrier of posting a first innings total above 300. They would definitely like to add some more runs which might prove to be crucial in determining the fate of the match ultimately. Sam Curran is unbeaten on 24 and would want to keep as much strike as possible to help England go past 300.
For India, Ravichandran Ashwin took 4 wickets and Mohammed Shami took 2. The turning point of the match came in the 63rd over when Joe Root was run out in an unlucky fashion. The English skipper made 80 before being dismissed. Johnny Bairstow also contributed 70 valuable runs to the English total. The English have already posted a fighting total though credit has to be given to the Indian bowlers for fighting back in the last session of the day.
#1 The pitch might deteriorate considerably as the match progresses
There was already much variable bounce on display on the v first day of the match. Some deliveries jumped off suddenly while some kept low. If the pitch behaved like that on the very first day, there is no reason to believe that it would be any better from the 4th day onwards.
The pitch is likely to deteriorate much as the match progresses and that does not augur well for India. Batting in the 4th innings on this abrasive surface would be an unenviable task and the Indian batsmen would have to do that precisely.
Any first innings total in excess of 300 should be a good one on this pitch. India would bat last in this test match and therefore, the Indian batsmen would have their task cut out. Moreover, England’s leg-spinner Adil Rashid might make life difficult for them. Ben Stokes’ hit-the-deck seam bowling could also prove to be effective on this surface.