An unbeaten 107-run partnership between Joe Root (93 not out) and Moeen Ali (48 not out) took England to 209/3 at tea on day one of the first Test in Rajkot on Wednesday. India had nicked the first session on what turned out to be the last ball before lunch, as Ben Duckett edged Ravi Ashwin to the slips where Ajinkya Rahane took a spectacular catch, giving India their third wicket. At 102/3, the Indians would have been pleased with their comeback after a horrid first hour in which they dropped three catches in the slips.
However, Joe Root, tipped to be one of England's main performers in this series, stayed true to his reputation and, along with the stubborn Moeen Ali, grabbed the initiative back from the hosts, as England went through the entire post-lunch session without losing a wicket. The second session of the day is generally the best time to bat in India and England made full use of it.
Root and Ali gave India a dose of what they had experienced on their tour of the United Kingdom in 2014. Root had been the highest run-scorer of the series with 518 in seven innings, including two centuries. Ali had also been a constant thorn in India's side. The two played India's spinners masterfully, especially Root, who hardly took any risk and played with the assurance of a veteran batter in sub-continental conditions.
India were at fault for leaking too many singles, with Kohli choosing to not go with an attacking field once the two batsmen were set. There was more woe for India towards the end of the session as Mohammed Shami pulled his hamstring while bowling and was taken off the field, with no confirmation so far about the seriousness of the injury and whether he will be able to bowl again.
At the stroke of tea, India even lost one Decision Review System review, but it was a good call to go for it as the ball was clipping leg-stump, but the hosts missed out on umpire's call.
This first-day pitch is not expected to do much, but England have batted superbly. If this partnership goes bigger, it will set up a fantastic series.
Brief score:
England 209/3 (Joe Root 93*, Moeen Ali 8*; R Ashwin 2/60) vs India.
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