Joe Root and Ollie Robinson have steered England to 302/7 by the end of Day 1 of the fourth Test against India at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi. Joe Root remained unbeaten on 106 off 226 balls while Ollie Robinson was not out at the crease on 31 off 60 deliveries.
Meanwhile, former England cricketer Nick Knight fumed at England batters for making the same mistakes with their aggressive ‘Bazball’ approach as they suffered successive dismissals to Indian bowlers on Day 1 of the Ranchi Test. England's rapid loss of wickets even before lunch, which left them reeling after winning the toss and choosing to bat.
England's struggles in the ongoing five-match Test series against India got even worse when their top order collapsed in the fourth Test. The England team struggled after a superb debut performance by Indian bowler Akash Deep. They were at 112 runs for the loss of five wickets before both teams took a break for lunch.
Akash Deep dazzles on debut with fiery three-fer
The 27-year-old pacer Akash Deep made an impressive debut for India by claiming the prized wickets of Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, and Olli Pope during the first session.
Despite the pre-match speculation, the pitch didn't pose significant challenges. However, England's batters faced difficulties against both spin and seam bowling in the initial session. Former opener Knight criticised the lack of application shown by Ben Stokes and his team, as they missed the chance to gain an early advantage after winning the toss.
"How many times did we talk at the top of our show about no sweeping on this surface? I thought that was a really poor option. You know, we talk a lot about Bazball, but we talk a lot about being aggressive. What about adapting to the situation? What about playing game situations? What about using your feet?" Nick Knight told Jio Cinema.
Knight tears into Bairstow's shot selection
Before the beginning of the 3rd Test, doubts arose about Jonny Bairstow's place in the team due to his failure to score more than 30 runs in his last six innings. The criticism surrounding him is likely to escalate further now, as the experienced batter squandered his opportunity by getting dismissed after making a promising start, without converting it into a substantial innings.
"I just felt the ball before it, he cut Ashwin away... picking length well. It's not so much that you shouldn't be aggressive, it is just the way that you're aggressive. And I just felt that (sweep shot) wasn't the right option at the right time," Knight added.
Batting at number 5, Bairstow played aggressively and scored 38 runs off 35 balls. However, his innings was cut short when he was adjudged LBW after missing a sweep shot off an R Ashwin delivery. Following Bairstow's dismissal, Ben Stokes fell to a short delivery from Ravindra Jadeja, scoring 3 runs off 6 balls.
Joe Root comes to England's rescue
Despite wickets tumbling all around him, Root displayed his skill by maintaining the flow of runs in Ranchi. Partnering with Ben Foakes, he built a vital 113-run stand after England faced a setback at 112 for 5, losing all five wickets in the morning session.
Root reached his century milestone by elegantly driving Deep for a boundary in the 84th over. England captain Stokes expressed his joy as the England team celebrated Root's hundred from the dugout.
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