India ended day one of the third Test on top after another uninspiring batting performance from England.
Zak Crawley’s half century was the pick of the batters for the tourists, who didn’t offer much else as they were skittled out for just 112.
A Rohit Sharma half century got the hosts well underway, before captain Virat Kohli was bowled by Jack Leach late on in the day with India 99-3 and trailing by just 13 runs.
The talk before the match was the fact it was a day/night game and the use of a pink ball.
The match was also played at the impressive Narendra Modi Stadium, the biggest cricket ground in the world with a capacity of 110,000.
England made four changes from their defeat in the second Test with Jonny Bairstow, Zak Crawley, Jofra Archer and Jimmy Anderson replacing Dan Lawrence, Rory Burns, Moeen Ali and Olly Stone.
Meanwhile India made just the two changes with Washington Sundar and Jasprit Bumrah replacing Mohammad Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav.
England won the toss and elected to bat first but their day started poorly as they lost opener Dom Sibley within the third over.
Ishant Sharma, playing in his 100th Test match, bowled a wicked delivery that the Warwickshire opener could only nick to Rohit.
Things soon got worse for the tourists as Axar Patel was introduced into the attack and with his first ball struck Bairstow on the pads – who was given out lbw.
The Yorkshireman reviewed the decision but this was to be a poor one as DRS showed the ball clearly hitting the stumps.
Crawley then tried to accelerate England’s innings with six quickfire boundaries, taking his tally to 27 and England to 34-2.
The Kent batsman then brought up a quick 50 with a boundary, which came off of just 68 balls.
India then got the massive wicket they were after as the hero from the second Test Ravichandran Ashwin trapped England captain Joe Root bang in front of his stumps and dismissed him for 17.
Crawley’s innings then ended soon after as Axar picked up another lbw dismissal, ending a handy innings of 53.
That was the final bit of action in the first session, one dominated by the hosts as England went in at 81-4.
The second session began disastrously for England as with just the second ball after the break Ollie Pope was walking back to the pavilion after being clean bowled by Ashwin.
Ben Stokes soon followed as Axar managed to trap another England batsman on the pad, as Stokes made just six.
England were in a perilous position at 81-6 and knew Ben Foakes had to put in a mammoth innings to give the tourists any respectability.
Archer tried his best to stick around with Foakes but was eventually bowled by Axar for 11 as England lost their seventh wicket.
Leach added just five to the total before he nicked Ashwin’s delivery to Cheteshwar Pujara who, after an umpire review, was adjudged to have just held onto the catch.
Axar then completed his five-wicket haul as Bumrah held on to the catch to remove Stuart Broad which meant England’s innings was almost at an end.
The end came soon after as Foakes was bowled for 12 by Axar, claiming his sixth victim of the innings, to bowl England all out for 112.
A very lethargic display from the tourists saw them skittled for their lowest-ever first innings score in India.
It seemed as if it just wasn’t England’s day as at the start of India’s innings Stokes dropped Shubman Gill on zero.
India added just five to their total as they went in at the ‘dinner’ break at 5-0.
The hosts upped the ante after the break before Gill skied a shot straight to Crawley who made a comfortable catch.
New man at the crease Pujara lasted just four deliveries as a superb delivery from Leach saw him trapped in front of his stumps for a duck.
A golden chance to remove India’s dangerman was fluffed by Pope as he dropped a seemingly easy catch to Kohli on 24.
The Indian captain only added three more however as he chopped Leach’s delivery onto his stumps for 27.
That was the final action of the day, with India finishing on 99-3, 13 behind England.
India will definitely feel on top, particularly if they can extend their lead to beyond 150 on Thursday.
England on the other hand will be looking at getting quick wickets to restrict the hosts for as few runs as they can.
Day two coverage from Ahmedabad continues on Thursday morning from 9am on Channel 4.
By Josh Mann
