The first Test between India and England ended in a draw as the final day was washed out. India needed 157 runs to win the match and had nine wickets in hand and were favourites to go 1-0 up in the 5-match series. However, rain denied the India side this chance and captain Virat Kohli was not very happy about the outcome. “Heading to day five, we had our chances right in front of us. One good partnership and then you know what happens when there’s only 150 on the board to defend. We certainly felt like we were on top of the game,” Kohli said at the end of the match.
India went into the game with four quick bowlers and one lone spinner in Ravindra Jadeja, and this served the side well. The captain said that looking at how things transpired, India could stick with this template for the rest of the series. It could well mean that R Ashwin might have to wait for his chance to feature in the series.
“Most likely it will be a template going ahead in the series, but again, adaptability has been a strength of ours as well,” Kohli said after the match.
Ravindra Jadeja played a crucial knock with the bat, grabbing a half-century. Jadeja kept things relatively right with the ball too. If the conditions and the pitch are the same, Ashwin will have to wait to get a chance to feature in the series.
The next Test of the 5-match series will be played at Lord’s from September 2 to September 6.
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