India vs England, 1st Test: England win Series opener by 28 runs

Prior to the commencement of the first Test at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, India had played 285 home Tests, with just 82 of those requiring them to bat in the fourth innings while pursuing a goal. They won 36 times and lost 23 times, with 22 matches ending in draws.

Tom Hartley took seven wickets as England beat India by 28 runs in the first Test on Sunday in Hyderabad. On Day 4, India started strong in their chase of 231 but lost a lot of wickets quickly. Ravichandran Ashwin and KS Bharat attempted to anchor the innings but were unable to maintain control. Hartley got seven wickets, with Joe Root and Jack Leach taking one each. With this victory, England took a 1-0 lead against India in the five-match series.Earlier in the day, Ollie Pope struck 196 runs for India, putting them up by 230 runs. Jasprit Bumrah was India’s leading bowler, with four wickets.

Hartley played an important part in England bringing India down to their last wicket and forcing a half-hour extension of the day. Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah then placed England in a difficult situation in the extra session, going for their strokes and running close singles and doubles, decreasing India’s required runs to win. The combination finished with 25 runs in 37 balls when Siraj was bowled in the final over of the day by Hartley, securing England’s memorable victory in Hyderabad. The win takes England a 1-0 lead in the five-match Test series, despite all odds.

The Indian cricket team has dropped to fifth place in the World Test Championship (WTC) points standings after losing to England in the first Test match in Hyderabad on Sunday. Following the defeat, India has just two victories from five WTC matches, with a PCT of 43.33. This places them below South Africa, New Zealand, and Bangladesh. Australia leads the list with a PCT of 55, despite losing the second Test against the West Indies at Gabba.

Indian Captain Rohit Sharma: “Hard to pinpoint where it went wrong. With a lead of 190 we were in control but exceptional batting – probably one of the best I’ve seen in Indian conditions, well played Ollie Pope. I thought 230 was gettable but it wasn’t to be. Thought we bowled in the right areas, we analysed what went well and what didn’t. But you’ve got to take your hat off and say well played to Pope. Hard to look at one or two things. We didn’t bat well enough to get to that score.  20-30 runs, anything is possible. The lower order fought well and showed the top order. We didn’t take some chances but that can happen, it’s the first game of the series.”

England captain Ben Stokes: “Since I’ve taken the captaincy on, where we are and who we’re playing against, it’s 100% our greatest victory. My first time coming out here and being captain in these conditions. I’m a great observer, I’ve watched how India operate in the field. Absolutely thrilled for everyone, Tom Hartley nine wickets, Ollie Pope first Test back after shoulder surgery. Tom came into the squad for the first time, he’s heard a lot and had a lot of confidence. I was willing to give him a long spell regardless of what happened. Whether that was the reason he got seven wickets and won us the game, who knows? Seen some special innings from Joe Root, but the whole innings on a difficult wicket, for me that’s the greatest innings by an Englishman on the subcontinent. If you lose, you wake up in the morning, still have a good crack and life and move on. We don’t fear failure. Go out and express yourself and you’ll be all right.”

Ollie Pope is named Player of the Match for his second-innings 196: “To come here to India, toughest place as a better and put in a winning performance, it’s head and shoulders above the rest. I got a bit luckier in the second innings, played and missed a few. Wanted to be positive with my sweep and reverse-sweep. I’ve tinkered through my career, changed my technique specifically for this series. The family have had early starts but can catch up on some sleep now.”