[Watch] Jonny Bairstow departs to hand India's Ravichandran Ashwin 100th Test wicket against England in 4th Test
Veteran Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin had a timely strike for the hosts as he dismissed the dangerous Jonny Bairstow during Day 1 of the fourth Test against England in Ranchi on Friday, February 23.
After a wretched time in the series, Bairstow looked a lot more positive in Ranchi and was prepared to play his natural counter-attacking game. Having scored 38 runs off 34 deliveries, the right-hander tried to sweep a full delivery from Ashwin.
The ball struck Jonny Bairstow on his back foot, but the on-field umpire adjudged it not out. After some deliberation, Ravichandran Ashwin convinced Rohit Sharma to go for a review. The replays showed that the ball was pitching in line, hitting in line, and also hitting the stumps.
The Indian players were in delirium, while Bairstow had to walk back dejected, probably questioning himself for the shot he tried to play. Here's a video of the dismissal:
This was Ashwin's 100th Test wicket against England. Bairstow's wicket was crucial as he could have taken the game away from the hosts despite a fine opening spell from debutant Akash Deep.
Jonny Bairstow's dismissal decisively swung first session in India's favor
On a pitch with several cracks on it, England seemed to win a crucial toss and Ben Stokes had no hesitation to bat first. Debutant Akash Deep knocked over Zak Crawley on what turned out to be a no-ball, and the opener then took the game to the hosts.
However, just when it seemed like it could be a frustrating first session in Ranchi for India, Akash turned it around by sending each of the top three opposition batters back to the shed.
Jonny Bairstow's positive strokeplay did catch the hosts off-guard. There came a time when it seemed like if the visitors made it to lunch with just three wickets down, it could well be their session.
However, Bairstow's dismissal confirmed a superb opening session for India, and Ravindra Jadeja trapping Ben Stokes in front at the stroke of lunch was just the icing on the cake. The visitors need Joe Root to bat big and get his team to a competitive first-innings total on what looks like a pitch that would only get tougher to bat on.