India vs England 3rd Test Day 1 LiveIndia vs England 3rd Test Live Cricket Score Online Updates: Ishant Sharma, playing his 100th Test, got an early breakthrough for India in the Pink Ball Test at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Day 1 of the 3rd Test between India and England on Wednesday. Axar Patel struck soon after to reduce the visitors to 27/2. Zak Crawley, playing his first match in India, moved to his 50 off 68 balls to stage a recovery. Ravichandran Ashwin removed Joe Root (17) and Patel snared Crawley (53) just before the end of the session to get India back in control. At the end of the first session, England were 81/4.
The four-Test series between India and England is currently tied at 1-1 at the halfway stage and Joe Root’s men will need to win the remaining matches to qualify. The task appears a tad simpler for Virat Kohli’s side, with the hosts needing to win at least one Test and avoid defeat in the other.
3rd Test, Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad, 24 Feb, 2021
Ashwin and Axar asking questions off the batsmen with every ball. With the shadows lengthening and the batting order in disarray, the end of this first session of the first day has a distinct Day 5 evening session feel about it. Stokes going forward to meet the ball every time. Pope hopping in his crease off the back foot at the moment.
England 81/4 at the end of the first session
Axar Patel strikes! Zak Crawley is gone! Another batsman perishes LBW to the spinner. And it's the wicket of the set batsman going just before the Lunch break. Axar gets his second wicket. Crawley is gone for 53 off 84 balls. Had looked the only batsman to have been comfortable in this morning session. Pope joins Stokes.
ENG 80/4
Stokes joins Crawley at 5 with 15 minutes left in the session. Crawley has stood tall, but the 23-year-old is increasingly looking like he is standing in the rubble of a house under demolition. India continue with the Ashwin-Axar duo. Stokes takes the fight to Ashwin, crashes a four over the bowler's head.
ENG 80/3
Ashwin's Root roar:
Ashwin does it! Root is gone! Given out LBW. Ashin lets out a roar! Root had a guilty look even before the umpire raised his finger. The ball straightened after turning (again!). And Root, missing the trajectory, is rapped on the front foot pad. Gone for 17.
ENG 74/3
India take a Review for LBW against Crawley, who is saved by a whisker. It was Umpire's Call on 'wickets hitting'. Root brings out the sweep against the spinner - timing a four to fine leg off Axar.
ENG 72/2
Ashwin and Axar are bowling in tandem at the moment, bowling some very quick overs. Root and Crawley take one or two runs in every over as India hurry through this second hour. Crawley makes room and carves a boundary to deep extra cover off Axar. The spinner comes back with sharp turn that whooshes past Crawley's bat. Crawley makes another riposte by making room and carving four more to the off side. That is 50 for Crawley. Off 68 balls.
ENG 66/2
Ishant Sharma is re-introduced after the break. Root gets his first boundary, down the ground off Ishant. In Ishant's next over, Crawley strikes his groove once again. Uses his wrists to get two boundaries off overpitched balls either side of the wicket. Crawley is showing what England had missed in the first two Tests.
ENG 51/2
A stop in play as Bumrah gets one to rise off the surface and strike Root on his gloves. Time for the physio to come out. One hour has almost passed and drinks are taken. Crawley, since going into boundary mode, has quitened down after Bairstow's wicket. Root still finding his way into the Motera soil. There has been a lot of movement in the air in this first hour but both wickets -- both for ducks -- have fallen when batsmen have played for the movement and the ball has straightened instead.
ENG 30/2 after first hour
Bumrah continues from one end, with a very dangerous looking Axar having replaced Ishant from the other. It can be expected that we shall see more spin than usual in this first session because the second session -- being played in the 'twilight zone' -- and the third session -- played under lights -- are likely to see much more of pace bowling. Ashwin likely to soon be seen in tandem with Axar. Not much turn on display so far, but the ball is travelling quickly after pitching.
ENG 30/2
Axar Patel is brought into the attack in the 7th over. A surprise move. And his first ball gets a wicket! Bairstow pushes forward but misses the line and is rapped on the back foot pad. LBW! Gone for a 9-ball duck. Two ducks in this England innings already. Root comes in at 4.
ENG 27/2
Ishant goes overpitched and Crawley hits consecutive fours off his pads. Ends the over with a couple more to the leg side. Crawley finds some timing as England register their first big over of the Test. In the next over, Crawley drives another full delivery from Bumrah for four more - this time to the off side. Another boundary off his pads to end the over. Crawley is on 23 off 23 balls.
ENG 27/1
Ishant Sharma follows the wicket with another no ball. 3 runs added so far, none of them coming off the bat. Venomous swing on display with the new pink ball. Crawley gets a four with a push to the leg side against Bumrah - the first runs off the bat in this Test. The ball narrowly misses the bat as the ball continues wobbling like a pendulum after it crosses the bat.
ENG 8/1
The first runs come via extras - a leg bye and a no ball. And then there is a wicket! Edged and taken and Ishant Sharma has started his 100th Test just like he would have wanted. Sibley edges. Rohit Sharma catches at slip. He is gone for a 7-ball duck. Bairstow joins Crawley.
ENG 2/1
Bumrah, playing only his 19th Test, but playing in front of his home crowd for the first time, bowls from the other end. And there is plenty of carry and movement for both Indian bowlers in these early stages. Still no runs on the board for England, after 2 overs.
Contrasting approaches from the two teams. Only two pacers for India, with Ashwin and Axar joined by Sundar to make it a spin trio. England, on the other hand, have gone in with their premier pacers - Anderson, Archer and Broad - and only one spinner in Leach.
Sibley and Crawley walk out to open the England innings. Ishant Sharma, playing his 100th Test, to bowl the first over. Here we go!
The spike in Covid cases in neighbouring Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh has put the health authorities on high alert even as 40,000 spectators are set to watch the first day of the pink-ball Test at the new Motera Stadium.
“All the enclosures have been sanitised. Hand sanitisers will be available aplenty. Face masks are mandatory. There will be a gap of one seat between two spectators. A total of eight medical kiosks have been set up inside the stadium complex for the fans.
Motera, the world’s largest cricket stadium, is hosting the day-night pink ball India-England Test from today. The venue in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad has a capacity of 1,10,000, but will allow only 55,000 fans in line with Covid-19 protocol.
It’s the grand cricketing launch of the stadium that hosted the ‘Namaste Trump’ event, where former US president Donald Trump shared the stage with Prime Minister Narendra Modi exactly a year ago.
Kohli says at the toss he would have wanted to bat first as well.
England: Dominic Sibley, Zak Crawley, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root(c), Ben Stokes, Ollie Pope, Ben Foakes(w), Jofra Archer, Jack Leach, Stuart Broad, James Anderson
India: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli(c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant(w), Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah
England win toss, choose to bat first.
The session timings are: 14:30-16:30 PM IST-- First session, 16:50-18:50 PM IST -- Second session, 19:30-21:30 PM IST -- Last session.