Image Credit- BCCI
On a captivating opening day of the fourth Test, which
the touring team has to win in Ranchi, Joe Root’s magnificent century temperate
Akash Deep’s sensational debut and pull England out of danger.
Reverting to a more classical Root innings on Friday paid off handsomely as
Root scored his first century of the series (in fact, his first score above 29)
and his tenth Test century against India. Root had faced criticism for what was
perceived as some mistimed innovation in the first innings of England’s 434-run
loss in Rajkot. In doing so, he helped England finish strong at 302 for 7,
after they had fallen to 57 for 3 and then 112 for 5, with Akash taking his
first three wickets in Test cricket inside two overs.
The 27-year-old right-arm quick Akash, who was called
up to replace the resting Jasprit Bumrah, opened the bowling with Mohammed
Siraj and created havoc for England almost immediately. He hit a perfect length
and found subtle movement on a dry pitch that was already showing some cracks
that the seamers occasionally exploited for extra bounce. His eleventh ball was
a beauty that sneaked back towards Zak Crawley and lingered a touch low to slip
past the gate and send stump cartwheeling, but the no-ball siren, which
indicated he had overstepped, silenced him and the jubilant audience.
After Siraj gave up three consecutive fours in his fourth over, Crawley
steadied and helped himself to 18 of the 19 runs Siraj gave up, including a
lofted six over mid-on.
But Akash took two wickets in three balls, then a
third to virtually erase his earlier disappointment, and England was thrust
into trouble. The bowler angrily and repeatedly thumped the emblem on his
breast in excitement after he had opener Ben Duckett caught behind off a length
delivery that landed just outside off stump and jagged away slightly to kiss
the outside edge. After India reviewed and replays showed Akash hitting the top
of leg stump with a ball that seamed in to beat the inside edge and strike the
pad right on the knee roll, Ollie Pope followed for a duck, leg bye.
Akash removed the opener for a run-a-ball 42 in his
next over, the 12th of the game, by overcoming Crawley’s drawn four off another
no-ball with a perfect-length delivery outside off that seamed back in and
pinged the top of off stump.
Jonny Bairstow put on a 52-run partnership with Root, but after hitting a
blistering 38 off 35 balls and after India overruled Rod Tucker’s on-field
decision, Bairstow was out of the game. At the stroke of lunch, Ben Stokes was
astonished by a full Ravindra Jadeja delivery that kept incredibly low and
skidded into the front pad at ankle height.
India went wicketless for the first time in this
series during the middle session, but the tourists were kept under control by a
113-run sixth-wicket combination between Ben Foakes and Root.
A far cry from the enterprising England of the Bazball era, Root’s tonne was
built on hard, patient work, but he played the situation as it presented
itself, absorbing the pressure and responding well. His undefeated 106, which
featured nine fours, came off 226 balls. He had excellent support from Foakes,
who faced 126 balls, including four fours and a magnificent six off Ashwin over
deep midwicket that sealed the century stand with Root. Foakes fell three runs
short of his fifty when he chipped Siraj to Jadeja at short midwicket.
With a stunning delivery that smashed Tom Hartley’s
outside edge and crashed into off stump, Siraj took his second wicket. After
Hartley was dismissed, England was at 245 for 7. Hartley had just avoided
second slip with an edge that didn’t travel, but he managed to go past Yashasvi
Jaiswal and run to the boundary rope.
Root and Ollie Robinson, who was not out at the end, put on another noteworthy
stand, this one unbroken and worth 57 so far. On 8, after fellow seamer Mark
Wood was substituted, Robinson was awarded not-out by on-field umpire Kumar
Dharmasena, despite Jadeja’s lbw challenge. The delivery appeared to be
striking middle stump on playback, but India had burned through all of their
reviews.