In the first Test’s initial day against England, India’s left-arm spinner, Axar Patel, made a significant impact. He caught Jonny Bairstow off guard with a truly spectacular bowl.
Reading the length and line of the Indian spinners with confidence, Bairstow contributed a vital 61 runs with Joe Root while appearing quite at ease.
India required something exceptional to end the collaboration, and Axar Patel delivered just that. The ball pitched about middle and leg and spun just enough to get past Jonny Bairstow’s defence and struck the top of the off stump, a classic dismissal from around the wicket for a left-arm spinner.
A video of the dismissal may be seen here:
The longest format wood was already in the possession of Axar Patel over Jonny Bairstow. This was his third dismissal of the right-hander, having already done so twice during England’s previous Test tour to India in 2021.
India tighten grip after Axar Patel’s beauty dismisses Bairstow
At 60/3, India appeared to be in complete control and would easily outscore England’s batting. Nevertheless, Root and Bairstow dug in and scored a further 48 runs in the session without taking any more wickets.
With the surface already beginning to play tricks, the visitors would have been thrilled with the score of 108/3 at lunch. But India quickly restored their position in the game by taking two fast wickets, forcing both of the set batsmen back into the shed.
Following Bairstow’s departure, England needed Joe Root to continue, but the former captain stumbled while attempting to play another sweep shot off Jadeja’s bowling. Just enough bounce was there for the ball to take a top edge, and Jasprit Bumrah completed a straightforward catch at short fine leg to finish the job.
The hosts, who lost the toss, will be happy that they prevented the visitors from scoring quickly. Ben Stokes, England’s captain, is a plus since he is at the wicket. They will be hoping that players like Ben Foakes stay and assist England in scoring more than 200 runs.