By: Tarish Bhatt
Joe Root and Moeen Ali made sure that England finish the Day 1 of the 1st Test on top in Rajkot. Root scored his 11th Test century, while Ali needs just a run to reach the triple figures. England finished the day at 311/4.
England dominated the both sessions post-lunch. They lost just a single wicket in Root after tea, but Ali held the one end firmly. When stumps were called, Ali (99 not out) was batting with Ben Stokes (19 not out).
The Rajkot deck didn’t do much as expected. Indian spinners – Ravichandran Ashwin, Amit Mishra and Ravindra Jadeja – failed to create any trouble. At one time, they were even taken for the cleaners.
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“We always thought seam might be a bit useful early on, and the guys at the top did well. We just knew we needed to build a partnership,” Root said after the day’s play.
“I thought Mo was outstanding as well, look forward to watching him continue tomorrow. (Hameed’s DRS) was my fault,” he added. “I thought he was excellent, looking so comfortable in an environment he’s not used to.”
Earlier, the Indian team struck thrice in the first session. Ashwin took a couple, while Jadeja took one to put the game in the balance. But, England’s middle-order stitched good partnerships to end the day at the top.
