India vs England Highlights 5th Test Day 1, IND vs ENG : India trail by 177 runs with all ten wickets in hand | Cricket | Sports | The Amit Gahlyan

India vs England Highlights 5th Test Day 1, IND vs ENG

The fifth and final Test of the England tour of India started at the picturesque Dharamsala stadium on Friday, March 7, 2024. India, who have already clinched the series 3-1, made two changes to their playing XI, bringing in Prithvi Panchal and Shardul Thakur for Shubman Gill and Mohammed Siraj. England, on the other hand, opted for three changes, with Mark Wood, Tom Hartley and Ben Foakes replacing Ollie Robinson, Jack Leach and Jonny Bairstow.

England captain Joe Root won the toss and decided to bat first on a green-tinged pitch. However, his decision backfired as India's pacers ran through the top order in the first session. Jasprit Bumrah struck in the second over, trapping Rory Burns lbw for a duck. Dom Sibley and Zak Crawley then added 32 runs for the second wicket before Bumrah struck again, getting Sibley caught behind for 14. Crawley looked in good touch, hitting six fours in his 29, but fell to a brilliant catch by Rohit Sharma at second slip off Thakur.

-Root and Dawid Malan then tried to steady the innings, but India's bowlers kept up the pressure with tight lines and lengths. Thakur got his second wicket when he induced an edge from Malan, who was caught by Rishabh Pant for 15. Root and Ben Stokes then saw off the rest of the session, taking England to 68 for 4 at lunch.

-The second session saw some more resistance from England's middle order, as Root and Stokes added 54 runs for the fifth wicket. Root reached his half-century off 97 balls, while Stokes played some aggressive shots to keep the scoreboard moving. However, India's spinners came into play in the second half of the session, as Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel picked up two wickets each. Ashwin broke the partnership when he had Stokes caught by Pant for 36. He then dismissed Foakes for 12, who edged a sharp turner to Ajinkya Rahane at first slip. Patel then removed Wood for 9 and Hartley for a duck in successive overs, leaving England reeling at 154 for 8 at tea.

-The final session saw some fightback from England's tailenders, as James Anderson and Stuart Broad added 37 runs for the ninth wicket. Anderson played some audacious shots, hitting four fours and a six in his 28. Broad also chipped in with 16 runs before he was bowled by Ashwin, who completed his five-wicket haul. Anderson was the last man out, caught by Panchal off Thakur, who finished with three wickets. England were bowled out for 205 in 68.4 overs.

-India's openers Rohit Sharma and Panchal then came out to bat for the final hour of play. They faced some testing spells from Broad and Anderson, who beat the bat on several occasions. However, they survived without any damage and took India to 28 for no loss at stumps. Rohit was unbeaten on 15 and Panchal on 12.

-India trail by 177 runs with all ten wickets in hand. They will look to build a big first innings lead on Day 2 and put England under pressure. England will need early wickets to stay in the game and avoid a heavy defeat.

Watch all the highlights of Day 1 from the India vs England 5th Test here.