India National Cricket Team is hosting England National Cricket Team in the fourth match of the five-match Test series. The virtual series decider between the teams kickstarted on Friday (23rd February) at the Jharkhand Cricket Association Complex in Ranchi.
Day 1 of the fourth match of the five-match Test series saw the staggering competition between bat and ball as both the teams had their moments in the game. It seemed that India would dominate the game because of the kind of start they had. But England pulled back things drastically well.
With the kind of cricket that was displayed on Day 1 of the Ranchi Test, it’s safe to say that the game will head towards an exciting finish. England won the toss and opted to bat first and they were off to a valiant start with the bat. However, things changed drastically after that.
Ben Duckett (11) and Zak Crawley (42) added 47 runs for the opening partnership and it seemed they would get a big total. However, debutant Akash Deep changed the game in the fortunes of India. He removed both the openers along with Ollie Pope for duck and left visitors tumbling at 57/3.
Joe Root held the one end whereas wickets around him kept falling. Jonny Bairstow (38) and Ben Stokes (3) perished early as England were left tottering at 112/5 at the end of the first session. Root then along with Ben Foakes made sure that they brought England back in the game.
The duo added 113 runs together as England ended session 2 without any wickets. While Ben Foakes perished for 47 runs, Root went on to slam a magnificent ton and made sure that England went past 300 runs at stumps on Day 1, which at one moment seemed difficult.
Joe Root was batting at 106 runs off 122 balls with the help of 9 fours in his innings. His valiant innings helped England end Day 1 on 302/7. Ollie Robinson (31*) supported him well as the visitors ended the first day of the match on high.
IND vs ENG: Pitch Report and Weather Report for Day 2
Speaking after the end of Day 1 of the Ranchi Test, debutant Akash Deep provided an update on the pitch. He said that the surface offered help to the pacers early on but the ball became soft as the game progressed. He also stated that the wicket was slow as well. Speaking to broadcasters, he explained:
“There was a bit of help early on, but the ball became soft and the wicket was slow as well. We just tried to be as tight as possible and bowl in the right areas.”
Akash Deep comments on the pitch suggest that spinners will come into play on Day 2 of the game. Indian spinners picked in two wickets on Day 1. It won’t be a surprise if hosts start with spinners in the morning session.
Talking about the weather in Ranchi, it is expected to be a bright sunny day tomorrow ( 24th February). The temperature is expected to be around 22° and the humidity will be around 44% during the day. There’s no cloud cover expected the precipitation is predicted to be 0%.
