[Watch] Rohit Sharma takes a low sharp catch at slip as Jadeja strikes to remove Pope in 1st IND vs ENG TestÂ
Team India spinner Ravindra Jadeja got into the act in the first session of the opening day against England as he dismissed Ollie Pope for just one run, courtesy of a sharp, low catch by skipper Rohit Sharma at slip.
England had dominated the first hour of play against the seamers, with the opening duo of Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett looking comfortable against the new ball. Ravichandran Ashwin delivered the first breakthrough by trapping Duckett LBW, paving the way for Jadeja to operate freely with two right-handed batters at the crease.
In stark contrast to the approach employed by the opening batters, Ollie Pope looked quite tentative at the crease. The right-handed batter got off the mark with the seventh delivery that he faced, and Jadeja only needed a handful of deliveries to end his stay.
Pope got down to one knee, and got himself down quite low, to defend a delivery bowled on a relatively good length by Jadeja. The ball claimed the outside edge, and Rohit Sharma was quick with his reflexes to get his hands under the ball in time to complete the catch.
There was a brief look by the third umpire to check the catch, but the ball did not make any contact with the ground, leading to Pope walking back to the pavilion.
Watch the excellent catch below:
Ollie Pope's struggles in India continued with his low score in the first innings at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. Before the ongoing contest, Pope had 153 runs from four Tests at an average of 19.13 in the country.
Team India spinners run the show to send the English top-order back to the pavilion
England's downfall after the drinks break continued as Ravichandran Ashwin picked up his second wicket of the innings after Zak Crawley tried to take him on. The opening batter stepped down the track but proceeded to find mid-off with his aggressive stroke.
Team India's fielding was on point yet again as Siraj took a brilliant catch, inches above the playing surface to reduce England to 60-3.
The spinners continue to operate from both ends as the middle-order pair of Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root aim to see out the remainder of the session. As of writing, England are placed at 100-3 after 26 overs.
How many wickets will the spinners pick up in the first innings? Let us know what you think.