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Staging a remarkable comeback England defeated India by 28 runs in the first Test to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series in Hyderabad. Set a target of 231, India were all out for 202 in 69.2 overs on the fourth day of the series opener.
India’s chase of 231 went horribly south once Hartley (7/62) spun into India’s top-order, igniting a rot that had India bowled out for 202 in the final over of the day. England now lead the five-match series 1-0.
The Indian top-order struggled copiously against debutant England left-arm spinner Tom Hartley on a slow-turner, as the hosts stuttered to 95 for three at tea on the fourth day of the first Test ,
Skipper Rohit Sharma looked in good space but Hartley’s guile had him stationed in front of the wicket when the ball thudded on to his pads.
After losing three wickets in the post-lunch session, India slipped further in the final passage losing wickets in a cluster before Ravichandran Ashwin (28) and KS Bharat (28) stemmed the slide for a while with a 58-run alliance for the eighth wicket.
A special spell from Tom Hartley leads England to an extraordinary win in the opening Test against India 👏#WTC25 | 📝 #INDvENG: https://t.co/E53vcqjfHE pic.twitter.com/qoJl3biFfu
— ICC (@ICC) January 28, 2024
Their assiduousness was a marker for some of their top-order teammates but it remained just that. A gloomy pointer.
Earlier, Ollie Pope’s incandescent innings helped England set up a tough fourth innings chase for India before being bowled out for 420 at the stroke of lunch on the fourth day of the first Test in Hyderabad .
Pope (196, 278b, 21x4s) propped up England, who resumed play from 316 for 6, as the Indian bowlers failed to make any impact. But the lack of a ‘Plan B’ was evident in the way the Indians bowled, often straying to the pads or going way outside the off-stump to give freebies to the Englishmen.
But Pope was not complaining either as he merrily added to the total as England flew past 400 runs in their second innings.
It was only the second time a team managed to go past that mark in India since 2012 — Alastair Cook’s England was the last side to manage that feat at Ahmedabad.
India skipper Rohit Sharma lamented his top batmen’s failure in the opening Test of the five-match series against England in Hyderabad on Sunday, saying they lacked the fight and character showed by the team’s lower-order batters after being set a “gettable” 231-run target.
India were all out for 202 to lose the match by 28 runs, completing a remarkable turnaround a day after conceding a huge first-innings lead of 190 runs.
Ollie laid the foundation for a famous English win with a monumental knock of 196 before debutant left-arm spinner Tom Hartley finished with excellent figures of 7/62 in the second innings.
“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 by an overseas player, well played Ollie Pope,” Rohit said at the post-match presentation ceremony as reported By PTI .
England captain Ben Stokes described it as the “greatest” victory since he took over Test captaincy from Joe Root.
“Since I’ve taken the captaincy on, where we are and who we’re playing against, it’s 100% our greatest victory,” Stokes said.
“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 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?”
Stokes, who played a vital knock of 70 in England’s first-innings total of 246 all out, was effusive in his praise for Pope.
“(Pope) 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.”
