Joe Root is determined to get England back on track

Following a five-wicket loss in the first session, England progressively recovered thanks to an unbeaten 86-run partnership between a resolute Joe Root and Ben Foakes.

Under pressure heading into this Test, Root put away the showy strokes and adopted a more conventional approach on a field that was helping the bowlers. When the pitch calmed down, his defensive approach made it possible to turn over the strike gradually. He scored the series’ opening fifty runs and served as the mainstay that allowed England to win.

Root has a ready companion in Foakes with whom to dive right in. Due to their tendency to stay low on pitches that were turning, both batters were able to navigate around the spinners, despite a few close shots.

After pacer Akash Deep, making his debut, had ignited a spectacular collapse of the top order in the opening session, the pairing was much needed. where he defeated the top three players in England.

There was enough bounce to the surface to keep pacers and spinners engaged, and there was much opportunity for LBW reviews and shouts, many of which India got right at first but then completely lost by the end of the second session. But despite the cries, England persisted in their attack, with cameos from Jonny Bairstow and Zak Crawley providing them with vital first-inning runs on a pitch that seemed to break easily.

Joe Roots despair moments

The newcomer was the one who made an impact before the spinners entered the game. From around the wicket, Akash Deep managed to get the ball to nip in quickly and away from the left-hander. which both worked well against England’s opening pair. After initially getting a reprieve when Akash overstepped, Crawley was bowled twice nearly simultaneously, and Ben Duckett fell nicking behind. After scoring 42 runs in a ball with hardly more than a short delivery, Crawlely lost his offstump due to the large incoming delivery being too difficult to control. Between, Akash also had Ollie Pope LBW, which left England in a precarious position.

However, Jonny Bairstow launched a counteroffensive to once more put India under duress. After putting on a 52-run stand with the cautious skipper, Bairstow attempted to sweep Ashwin but was out LBW after a review. The highlight of India’s morning came when Jadeja managed to shoot low and trap Stokes for LBW. There were many of warning flags from the opening session about how the pitch would perform during the Test.

Joe Root’s team come back

However, as the second session went on, England managed to offset the threats and edged closer to a respectable first-inning total captained by Joe Root.