First Test, Hyderabad (Day 4 of 5): |
england 246 (Stokes 70; Ashwin 3-68, Jadeja 3-88) &420 (Pope 196; Bumrah 4-41) |
India 436 (Jadeja 87, Rahul 86, Jaiswal 80; Root 4-79) &202 (Hartley 7-62) |
England won by 28 points |
scorecard |
England achieved their biggest ever away win, stunning India with a heart-stopping 28-run victory in the first Test in Hyderabad.
Inspired by one of Ollie Pope's best-ever innings and debutant spinner Tom Hartley's mesmerizing 7-62, England led India to victory by 231 runs in the final over of 30 minutes of extra time. They defeated the host country by 202 points. End of the 4th day.
A win against a team that had lost just three of their previous 46 home Tests is remarkable in itself, but England did it despite an inexperienced attack and senior spinner Jack Leach hampered by injury.
England recovered from a 190-run deficit in the first innings, but only twice in Test history have they overturned such a large margin to win. India has never lost a home Test with a lead of more than 100.
After England started at 316-6, Pope scored 196 runs, the highest score in a second innings ever recorded by an England batsman in India. Tourists were bowled out for $420 at the moment of lunch.
The target should have been within India's reach, even on the pitch, but the hosts succumbed. England were led by the brilliant Hartley, who also hit 34 hits with the bat.
The crushing 4-24 defeat tore at the roots of India's mid-table team and left the home fans in an eerie silence.
With India on the brink, KS Bharat and Ravichandran Ashwin extended their rearguard partnership to 78, making the crowd believe again. India had the momentum but only Hartley bowled beautifully for Bharat.
Overtime was allowed and the shadows loomed. Ashwin danced past Hartley and stumbled, but India remained unbeaten.
Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj put on 25 runs for the final wicket before Siraj's trip off Hartley sparked England's wild celebrations.
England produce victories for many years
Since captain Stokes and McCullum took over in the summer of 2022, England have continued to push the boundaries of what is possible.
last winter Defeat Pakistan in Rawalpindi England's best away win has been talked about, but this will undoubtedly take precedence given the quality of the opposition, the conditions, the composition of the England team and the position they were in after the first innings. .
All this comes as a result of reinforcements such as Harry Brook leaving the team for personal reasons and uncapped spinner Shoaib Bashir having to return to the UK to resolve visa delays. It was later.
Two days later, England looked like they were going to suffer a crushing defeat, but they fought back with the tenacity, confidence and aggressiveness that had become their trademark. In the end, India was overwhelmed.
The home team certainly lacked the energy of Virat Kohli, who had missed the first two Tests due to personal reasons. Kohli would have encouraged them on the field and enjoyed the chase.
As it stands, a win for England will ignite a five-Test series as they aim to become the first team to win here in 12 years.
It capped off a great day of Test cricket. West Indies achieved a shocking victory over Australia In Brisbane.
Hartley was selected as a left-fielder for this tour and is a bowler who has only played 20 first-class matches, but England had the qualities that they believed would make him a force in India.
It appeared to be a huge mistake on the opening night, when Hartley's first ball in Test cricket leaked seven runs in one over, scoring six. It looked like a masterstroke on Sunday when Hartley bowled with unerring control and delightful dip.
India were measured to have added 42 for the first wicket, perhaps conscious of the ball being kept low from the Hartley side. Hartley changed his tune within three balls, holding both Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill under the helmet with Pope's sharp hands.
Rohit Sharma, who was left on five by Zak Crawley at second slip, was trapped on the front foot by Hartley and as India retreated to their own bunker, Axar Patel, who had been promoted to No. 5, meekly took a return catch. England became favorites to win when 22-year-old and most assured KL Rahul played LBW back to Joe Root's first turn.
Pope Classic lays foundation for monumental victory
Pope has already played a fine innings, arguably his best for England, as he saved England for 148 runs on Saturday. The kicking continued throughout Sunday morning, resulting in one of the best matches played by England's batsmen overseas.
Ahmed, 16, started the day by driving Bumrah overnight and knocking Jadeja to the ground. India delayed introducing the new ball, but it appeared to be a mistake until Rehan Ahmed beat Bumrah and fell for 28, ending a seventh-wicket stand of 64.
Pope found further support from a confident Hartley. India got another ball, but Pope reverse-scooped Jadeja for four. Hartley was comfortable but India were lackluster and the momentum was all on England when Rahul dropped a direct chance at wide first slip and relieved Pope for 186.
But when Ashwin got one run past Hartley, that was when England started losing their last three wickets for one run, and Pope reverse-scooped Bumrah at the end to potentially reach 200. I aimed for a certain boundary line.
England's second innings total was 102.1 overs, the highest by a visiting Indian team in 13 years, and the longest second innings of the Stokes-McCallum era.
For Pope, the score was the fourth highest second innings score by a visiting Indian batsman, behind Andy Flower, McCullum and Sir Garfield Sobers. The elite nature of the company was commensurate with the magnitude of his achievements and the results they produced for England.