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[Saba Sports News] On the opening day of the fourth Test against India, England found themselves in a precarious situation after losing three early wickets but eventually rallied to a first-innings total of 353, thanks to Joe Root’s masterful 122* and Ollie Robinson’s valuable 58.
Facing a formidable England score, India’s innings got off to a shaky start with James Anderson dismissing captain Rohit Sharma early. Although Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill attempted to stabilize the innings, Gill’s departure for 38 sparked a dramatic collapse, leaving India at 177/7. Jaiswal emerged as a key performer, scoring 73, but the rest of the Indian lineup faltered.
The narrative of the match took a significant turn on Day 2, with Shoaib Bashir, in only his second Test, wreaking havoc on India’s middle order by claiming four wickets. England’s position of strength in the match led to scrutiny of the pitch’s character, especially after Ben Stokes’s dismissal by Ravindra Jadeja in a manner that highlighted the low bounce, prompting him to leave the field with a grin.
Stuart Broad, reflecting on the situation, openly critiqued India’s choice of a pitch that seemed to favor England’s strengths, diverging from India’s traditionally strong performance on flat tracks that benefit their spinners. Broad’s perplexity over the pitch preparation strategy was shared on Twitter, questioning the rationale behind opting for a surface that potentially leveled the playing field for the opposition.
As the match progressed to the end of Day 2, India found themselves trailing by 134 runs, facing the challenge of mounting a significant comeback. The onus now falls on Dhruv Jurel and Kuldeep Yadav to deliver a remarkable performance on Day 3 to sustain India’s hopes in this critical encounter.