"Bazball se zyaada no-ball hai aaj!"- Fans troll England as Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja torment hosts on Day 1 of 5th IND vs ENG Test
Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja rescued a tricky situation together and ensured Team India ended Day 1 of the fifth Test at Edgbaston against England right on top. Pant (146 off 111 balls) and Jadeja (83* off 163 balls) added 222 runs for the sixth wicket, which is India's highest sixth wicket partnership against England.
India were in a precarious situation at 98/5 and it looked like the visitors would struggle to reach the 200-run mark. However, Rishabh Pant launched an incredible counter-attack that brought him his fifth Test hundred. Jadeja also gave him great support and his presence will give India a sense of calm ahead of Day 2.
Fans on Twitter were absolutely thrilled to see both Pant and Jadeja make an absolute mockery of the England bowling attack. Some also trolled England for looking absolutely helpless despite having India on the ropes at one point.
Here are some of the reactions:
India finished Day 1 of the fifth Test on 338/7 with Jadeja batting 83* with Mohammed Shami.
Rishabh Pant took special liking to Jack Leach
Rishabh Pant against left-arm spinners has always been a favorable match-up for the southpaw. Leach had picked up a 10-wicket haul in his last Test and was high on confidence.
However, the way the 24-year-old took down the left-arm spinner was simply ridiculous. The ease with which he found boundaries and launched some of them into the stands completely deflated Leach and other bowlers.
England skipper Ben Stokes' body language was probably enough to suggest what kind of damage Pant had done to their spirits. While the southpaw was fiery at one end, Jadeja was as cool as a cucumber at the other.
The 33-year-old ensured that he kept one end tight and didn't let the England bowlers go through his defense. The reaction of coach Rahul Dravid after Pant reached his hundred summed up how important the partnership between the two left-handers was.
Jadeja would still like to get to his hundred and more importantly get India as close to 400 as possible. England will certainly need to pick up quick wickets on Day 2 to ensure they don't put too much pressure on their batters.