England Tour of India Test Series, 2024

5th Test

Day-1 Session-1 Highlights:

Zak Crawley’s fifty has helped the England team and Kuldeep Yadav’s wickets has helped the India team to maintain the balance.

England has scored 100/2 before the Lunch of Day-1:

An impressively fluent unbeaten fifty from Zak Crawley, along with Kuldeep Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah’s impactful spells, dominated discussions during the action-packed first morning of the fifth Test between India and England in Dharamsala.

The commencement of the match was marked by elaborate ceremonies honoring two players reaching their 100th Test milestone and the debut of Devdutt Padikkal.

Despite the venue’s historical inclination towards seam-friendly conditions, Ben Stokes, resisting the urge to include an extra seamer, made the bold decision to bat first after winning the toss.

However, his decision was quickly tested as India’s new-ball duo, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, showcased their skill in both swing and seam movement.

England’s openers managed to weather the storm with a mixture of grit, flair, and a bit of luck.

Although Bumrah and Siraj consistently troubled the batsmen’s outside edge, India couldn’t find the breakthrough early on.

The scoring rate wasn’t rapid, but England kept the scoreboard ticking.

Duckett, after a shaky start, began to find his rhythm with elegant strokes but fell victim to Kuldeep’s cunning tactics.

Crawley, on the other hand, looked solid from the outset, displaying proficiency against both pace and spin.

His well-timed drives and audacious strokeplay, including a towering six off Ashwin, showcased his confidence at the crease.

However, just before lunch, Ollie Pope’s uncertain footwork led to his downfall, gifting his wicket to Kuldeep.

Despite Crawley’s commanding half-century steering England into a promising position, Pope’s dismissal balanced the scales heading into the break.

Interestingly, on a pitch presumed to favor seamers, it was the wrist spin of Kuldeep and Ashwin that posed significant challenges for the English batsmen, proving their versatility in varied conditions.