IND vs ENG 4th Test Day-1: Joe Root scored a memorable century, Match evenly poised at the end of Day-1

Vineet Chopra

Pune, 23 February 2024: On Day 1 of the 4th Test between India and England in Ranchi, England captain Ben Stokes won the toss and elected to bat first. It was a significant day for young Indian fast bowler Akashdeep as he made his Test debut and made an immediate impact by dismantling England’s top order early on. Akashdeep’s dream debut helped India gain early control of the match.
The spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja also played their part, picking up crucial wickets just before lunch to further bolster India’s position. Despite the early setbacks, England’s Joe Root and Ben Foakes displayed resilience and stitched together a vital partnership to steady England’s innings after lunch. Their partnership frustrated the Indian bowlers and helped England recover from a precarious position at 112/5.

However, Mohammed Siraj’s late burst with the reverse swinging ball halted England’s progress, dismissing Foakes and Hartley in quick succession. At stumps on Day 1, England reached 302/7, with Joe Root’s magnificent century being the highlight of their innings.

With the match evenly poised at the end of Day 1, both teams will be eager to seize the momentum and push for a favorable result. England made two changes to their playing XI, bringing in Ollie Robinson and Shoaib Bashir, while India handed Akashdeep his Test debut opportunity.

Here are the playing elevens for both teams:

England’s playing XI: Jack Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (captain), Ben Fox, Tom Hartley, Ollie Robinson, James Anderson, and Shoaib Bashir.

India’s playing XI: Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurail, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Akashdeep, and Mohammed Siraj.

With the series finely poised at 2-1 in India’s favor, both teams will be determined to gain the upper hand in the Ranchi Test and either seal the series or level it.