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After conceding a 190-run first-innings lead, England staged a remarkable fightback to win the first test by 28 runs against India.

Having won the toss visiting skipper Ben Stokes opted to bat first. On a pitch that was flat and didn’t offer much to the quicks, it seemed like a good idea to do so.

Stokes’ decision looked to be an incorrect one. Despite some batsmen making a good start, England were only able to muster 246 all out.
Even that score was in large part thanks to their captain supreme Stokes, who scored 70.

England’s total never looked anywhere near enough. Yashasvi Jaiswal (80), KL Rahul (86) and Ravi Jadeja with 87 helped the hosts to a mammoth 436 all out.

The tourists were trailing the game by 190 runs. Not many, if any would have expected what was going to happen next. England were in a precarious 163-5 but were able to rally to 420 all out.

Rehan Ahmed (28), Tom Hartley and Ben Foakes (both 34) helped England build a lead of 231, which was what India needed to win the first test. Maybe too simplistic, but Ollie Pope’s 196, a superb sole vigil by England’s number three, arguably was the main reason why England are 1-0 up in the series.

As for hosts India who are accustomed to playing on slow, flat-deck tracks, had questionable tactics to spin. Whereas England to their credit were trying to unsettle the Indian spinners, the Indians themselves seemed content to settle into a defensive approach to The Three-Lions’ attack.

This approach was doomed as debutant Tom Hartley who had his first ball in tests hit for six, came back in the second innings and blew India away with remarkable figures of 7-62.

After being on the back foot for the first part of this test, it was a superb recovery by Ben Stokes’ England side. The second test between the two sides is on 2nd February at the Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatna

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