India came 28 runs short in the first Test match played at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Sunday. Indian batters tried their best to overturn the result but England spinners were spot on target with their proper line and accurate lengths. (As It Happened | Cricket News)
When India were nine down and England just needed one more wicket to win the opening Test match of the five-game bilateral series, Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah showcased sheer toughness and quality character. The duo added 25 runs off 37 balls for the last wicket and delayed England’s victory for six more overs.
Mohammed Siraj showed positive intent even when India needed more than fifty runs with only one wicket in hand. He targeted spinners and went berserk against them. He plunged on every other delivery which eventually resulted in his dismissal as well when Tom Hartley bowled a nicely tossed-up ball which enticed him and he came dancing down the wicket and missed the line of the ball. Wicket-keeper Ben Foakes collected the ball and stumped him. He was far away from the crease.
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Bumrah played the role of a catalyst and gave good support in the short and entertaining partnership, which kept the Indian hopes alive for some time. Bumrah holds the record of hitting the highest runs in an over in Test cricket.
The record came when these two teams met last time in the traditional format in Edgbaston where he hit Stuart Broad for 35 runs in an over in 2022.
Earlier, India kept losing wickets in quick succession while chasing a modest target of 231 runs on Day 4. Wicket-keeper batter Srikar Bharat and Ravichandran Ashwin filled some hope with a 53-run partnership for the eighth wicket but debutant Tom Hartley, who claimed seven wickets in the second innings, provided the necessary breakthrough for England.
