After a nine-month gap for the fifth and final Test match of the series, a lot had changed for both England and India, including their captains. On an overcast early start at Edgbaston, the hosts asked the visitors to bat. The old man, James Anderson vindicated his skipper’s decision by removing both the openers in the first session. However, from thereon, apart for a brief period, two men – Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja – dictated the terms. Their partnership is the key reason that India are now in a slightly comfortable position at 338-7 after being 98-5 at one stage. Pant stole the show with his blistering 111-ball 146, whereas Jadeja is still unbeaten on 83. We look back at the key moments from a riveting Day 1 of the fifth Test.
The master at work
In overcast conditions, there is still none better than James Anderson. The almost 40-year-young showcased why he is still one of the best exponents of the new ball during his spell in the first session. England didn’t find enough swing in the initial four overs. Anderson was quick to realise that and pulled his length back.
From searching for swing with fuller length balls, Anderson started targeting the top of the off-stump with the ball pitching around good length or just short of it. From an upright seam, he switched to a wobbled seam. That made it difficult for batters to understand the second line of the ball. He was instantly rewarded as Shubman Gill failed to resist his temptation of touching a ball that he could have left alone both on the line and the length as he and edged it to slip.
Jack Leach vs Rishabh Pant
Rishabh Pant dominates spinners, especially the ones that bring the ball into him. After failing to dislodge the Pant-Jadeja partnership through pace, Stokes was quick to turn to his lead spinner in Jack Leach. It was also a bait to tempt Pant into a big shot with his team in trouble. However, things took a turn for worse.
Leach conceded 71 runs at 7.88 RPO off his nine overs. 59 of those were scored by Pant from just 32 balls. Leach had the field set for Pant to commit a mistake but such was the left-hander’s conviction that he managed to either pierce the gap or go over the fielder. If Leach’s record against him was bad before this innings, it just got a lot worse.
Reliable Ravindra
Ravindra Jadeja has been one of the most consistent and bankable batters for India for a while now. Coming in at #7, Jadeja not only steadied the ship with Pant, but he provided able support to his partner by rotating the strike and converting the loose balls.
The stand-out feature of Jadeja’s batting has been his solidity in defence. On the first day, he was in control of 85% of the balls he faced. This wasn’t something new for India’s number one all-rounder. In the World Test Championship 21-23 cycle, Jadeja’s average of 44.9 is higher than Steve Smith (36.61), David Warner (34.07), Ben Stokes (31.20) and Virat Kohli (29.82), to name a few.
The 222-run partnership between the two left-handers has certainly brought respectability to India’s total. Jadeja is still unbeaten and will look to take India close to the 400-run mark. England will fancy bowling out India early on day 2 and look to make full use of the batting-friendly conditions.