India vs England 1st Test, Day 1: As it happened...

Billed as the revenge series, India would aim to pay England back in the same coin when the two teams renew cricketing rivalry when they go into what promises to be an engrossing four-match Test rubber here from Thursday.

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COMMENTARY » India vs England 1st Test, Day 1: Match Report» ALSO READ: IT’S PAYBACK TIME FOR DHONI AND HIS MEN ALSO READ: NEW SELECTORS FOLLOW OLD TREND» JOIN THE DEBATE: IS INDIAN TEAM READY FOR LIFE WITHOUT TENDULKAR? ==================================================================================== Thats stumps. India finished Day 1 at 323 for the loss of 4 wickets. They would be satisfied with the overall performance. Pujara (98*) and Yuvraj (24*) ensured that no more wickets fell in the last few overs. Sehwag with his 117 and Pujara have been the standout players of the day. For England, Graeme Swann picked all the four wickets to have fallen on day 1. ==================================================================================== INDIA: Over: 90 II Score: 323/4(1st innings) Broad beats Pujara outside off stump. Two runs off the first over with the second new ball. Anderson to bowl from the other end. Yuvraj playing very watchfully. Realises that India cannot afford to lose any more wickets. Yuvraj drives one straight past the bowler for a boundary. The timing and placement was perfect. Pujara dabs an Anderson delivery towards third man for four. Pujara drives one past covers for four. That was timed very well by Pujara. ==================================================================================== England have taken the new ball in the 87th over. Stuart Broad will get to use it first. ==================================================================================== INDIA: Over: 85 II Score: 303/4(1st innings) Swann is trying to exploit the cracks outside Yuvraj’s off stump. Runs are difficult to come by for the Indian batsmen. Pujara: 88*, Yuvraj: 14* ==================================================================================== INDIA: Over: 80 II Score: 293/4(1st innings) Samit Patel to continue. The first ball keeps really low. Yuvraj survives two consecutive leg before wicket appeals. Yuvraj sweeps a full toss to deep square leg. Picks up one run. Yuvraj punches a short ball from Patel through covers for four. Pujara: 85*, Yuvraj: 7* ==================================================================================== The fall of Kohli's wicket brings Yuvraj Singh to the crease. ==================================================================================== Kohli is out. Another wicket for Swann. That one pitched on off stump and turned to go through Kohli’s defence and crash into the stumps. Swann has bowled very well today. V Kohli b Swann 19 (67b 3x4 0x6) ==================================================================================== INDIA: Over: 75 II Score: 282/3(1st innings) Kohli smashes a Swann full toss straight past mid on for four. Pujara hits one to mid on and takes off for a quick single. Pietersen hits the stumps. Pujara is safe though. Pujara: 82*, Kohli 18* ==================================================================================== INDIA: Over: 70 II Score: 274/3(1st innings) Kohli gets off the mark after facing 30 balls with a beautiful straight drive past the bowler. Swann to continue from the other end. Kohli edges one and the slip fielder Trott fumbles it and is unsure whether he took it cleanly. Replays show that the ball had been grassed. So Kohli survives a scare. Swann is disappointed. Pujara uses his feet to go down the track and drives one between cover and mid off for a four. This has been a feature of his innings. He has used his feet very well to counter the English spinners. Broad strays into Kohli’s pads again and he flicks it to square leg boundary. The timing on that shot was exquisite. Pujara: 80*, Kohli: 12* ==================================================================================== INDIA: Over: 65 II Score: 253/3(1st innings) Runs have dried up a bit for India after Sehwag’s dismissal. Anderson and Swann bowling well in tandem. They are not giving the Indian batsmen any loose deliveries. Pujara: 71*, Kohli: 0* ==================================================================================== Tea Report India are 250 for the loss of three wickets at tea. Sehwag scored 117 runs off 117 balls. Pujara also got to his half century and is batting on 68*. India will be disappointed to have lost two big wickets. Sehwag tried to sweep Swann towards deep square leg but missed the ball which crashed into the stumps. Sachin Tendulkar lofted one towards deep mid wicket straight into the hands of Samit Patil. Pujara and the Kohli have a bit of rebuilding to do for their team. England had a far better second session. They would be delighted to have dismissed Sehwag and Tendulkar. Swann has been the pick of the bowlers. He picked all three wickets to have fallen. England would be looking to pick up a few more wickets in the post tea session. ==================================================================================== INDIA: Over: 58 II Score: 250/3(1st innings) Pujara smashes a short Anderson delivery for a four. Tendulkar sweeps Swann for a four. Virat Kohli comes to the crease. Two youngsters at the crease for India. The umpires call for tea. ==================================================================================== Sachin Tendulkar is gone. He lofts one towards deep mid wicket and finds the fielder who takes a comfortable catch. This is a big wicket for England. S Tendulkar c Patel b Swann 13 (18b 2x4 0x6) ==================================================================================== INDIA: Over: 55 II Score: 242/2(1st innings) Pujara punishes Anderson who strays on his pad. Swann bowls a very good over. Just one run off it. Tendulkar cuts a short one from Anderson for a four. Pujara plays an excellent cover drive to a flighted delivery from Swann to get a boundary. Indian batsmen looking comfortable and runs are being scored briskly. Pujara: 64*, Tendulkar: 9* ==================================================================================== The fall of Sehwag’s wicket brings Sachin Tendulkar to the crease. He gets a huge ovation from the crowd as expected. ==================================================================================== Swann comes into the attack and he gets Sehwag out bowled. He tried to sweep but missed the ball completely. End of a fantastic innings from Sehwag. V Sehwag b Swann 117 (117b 15x4 1x6) ==================================================================================== INDIA: Over: 50 II Score: 224/1(1st innings) Pujara cuts a short of length delivery from Broad for a delivery. Broad testing Sehwag’s patience by bowling outside the off stump on a regular basis. Sehwag though not flirting with danger and leaving most deliveries. Pujara pulls a short ball from Sami8t Patel towards deep square leg. That was hit with a lot of power. Cheteswar Pujara reaches his fifty. This has been a fine innings from the young man. Broad bowls on the pads of Pujara and he glances it for a boundary. Broad has been ordinary all day. Sehwag: 117*, Pujara: 55* ==================================================================================== Cheteswar Pujara reaches his fifty. This has been a fine innings from the young man. ==================================================================================== INDIA: Over: 45 II Score: 199/1(1st innings) Samit Patel is back into the attack. Pujara flicks Bresnan delivery towards backward square leg twice in the same over for boundaries. Pujara is using his wrists very well and is looking very settled in the middle. Broad replaces Bresnan. Pujara guides a wide delivery towards third man for four. Sehwag: 111*, Pujara: 36* ==================================================================================== INDIA: Over: 40 II Score: 170/1(1st innings) Pujara cuts a short and wide ball from Swann for four. He is looking in good touch. Pujara closes the face of the bat too early on a Bresnan delivery. The ball pops up in the air but lands just over Anderson at mid on. Pujara was really lucky. Sehwag reaches his hundred with a four over mid wicket. 103 off 90 balls. What a brilliant innings this has been. He has proved all his critics wrong with this innings. Very mature and controlled innings from the Sultan of Najafgarh. Sehwag: 105*, Pujara: 14* ==================================================================================== INDIA: Over: 35 II Score: 149/1(1st innings) Pujara flicks one towards deep square leg for a couple of runs. Sehwag produces a brilliant cover drive off Swann to get into the nineties. He follows it up with a single. This is very intelligent batting from the veteran. Sehwag: 95*, Pujara: 4* ==================================================================================== INDIA: Over: 30 II Score: 134/1(1st innings) Anderson to start proceedings after lunch. Sehwag picks up from where he left before lunch. Guides the last ball of the first over post lunch for a four towards the third man fence. Swann to bowl from the other end. Gambhir cuts a short one for four. Swann manages to get the edge of Gambhir’s bat but Prioir misses a tough chance. Gambhir is bowled. Gambhir moves acroos the stumps and attempts a cut. He misses and the ball crashes into the stumps. Cheteswar Pujara replaces Gambhir. G Gambhir b Swann 45 (111b 4x4 0x6) ==================================================================================== Lunch Report India are 120 for no loss at lunch. The openers have done a very good job for the team. The highlight of this session was certainly Virender Sehwag who scored 79* off 66 balls. He was willing to wait for the loose balls and hardly played a rash shot throughout the innings. Gambhir on the other hand was much more subdued. The two have given India a perfect start, something that the Indian team had missed in the last couple of series. England will be disappointed with the way the session went. The England fast bowlers looked completely ineffective on this pitch. They did bowl very tightly to start with but later were smashed all around the park especially by Sehwag who didn’t put a foot wrong in the entire innings. Swann looked good but failed to trouble the Indian batsmen. We expect to see a lot of the spinners as the day progresses. ==================================================================================== INDIA: Over: 28 II Score: 120/0(1st innings) Gambhir: 37*, Sehwag: 79* Samit Patel the left arm spinner comes into the attack. Spin from both ends for England. He starts off with a nice juicy full toss and Sehwag smashed it to deep mid wicket for four. Swann and Patel bowling in tandem for England. The bails come off and its lunch. ==================================================================================== INDIA: Over: 25 II Score: 111/0(1st innings) Gambhir: 36*, Sehwag: 71* Stuart Broad is back into the attack in place of Tim Bresnan. England are looking completely out of ideas at the moment. Sehwag pounces on a loose ball from Broad and cuts it for four. This has been the highlight of Sehwag’s innings. He has shown the determination to hang around and wait for the loose ball. Swann has not troubled the batsmen. The Indian openers have played him comfortably. ==================================================================================== INDIA: Over: 20 II Score: 101/0(1st innings) G Gambhir : 32*, V Sehwag: 66* Sehwag is opening up now. Hits Bresnan for two fours and a six Gambhir still playing very watchfully. Not willing to take any undue risk. Both the openers have shown a lot of value for their wicket. ==================================================================================== Sehwag gets to his fifty. this has been a fantastic knock. He has helped India get off to a great start. V. Sehwag: 50* (45b 8x4) ==================================================================================== INDIA: Over: 15 II Score: 66/0(1st innings) Sehwag 36*, Gambhir: 27* Sehwag is timing the ball well. Bresnan offers width and Sehwag helps the ball towards third man for a four. The scoring rate is beginning to pick up now. India get to 50 in the 12 th over. Sehwag hits Broad for a four through covers. Indian openers looking very comfortable in the middle. Graeme Swann into the attack. He will bowl the 13 th over. It will be interesting to see how much purchase he gets from the pitch. ==================================================================================== INDIA: Over: 10 II Score: 42/0(1st innings) Sehwag is beginning to show glimpses of his class. Three elegant boundaries off Anderson in the seventh over. Now Gambhir gets one through covers for two runs. He has been very watchful and has looked very solid with his defence this morning. The Indian duo seem to have got the measure of the English opening bowlers. Probably time for Cook to think of getting a spinner into the attack. A bowling change. The tall and lanky Tim Bresnan replaces Anderson. Broad continues from the other end. Surprising to see just one slip in place. There goes the short ball, and Sehwag dabs it to square leg for a single. Gambhir gets a boundary towards deep square leg. Gambhir likes it on the pads and Broad would do better to stay away from that area. ==================================================================================== INDIA: Over: 5 II Score: 15/0(1st innings) Update 2: James Anderson and Stuart Broad bowling a nice and tight line and length. Not much swing on offer for any of the bowlers. That should make the Indian openers feel a lot better. Sehwag shows his class with a beautiful cover drive which races to the boundary. Gambhir gets an inside edge on an Anderson delivery which misses the stumps by a whisker. Sehwag flicks one off his hips towards fine leg for a four. Sehwag is looking to play the ball on its merit. He has not played any rash strokes but has not missed out on the loose deliveries. ==================================================================================== Update 1: Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag are out in the middle. James Anderson to start proceedings for England. There has been a lot of uncertainty over how the pitch will behave. It will be interesting to see if Anderson gets some swing and how the Indian openers handle it Toss: India have won the toss and have elected to bat first. England (Playing XI): Alastair Cook(c), Nick Compton, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Matt Prior(w), Samit Patel, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, James Anderson India (Playing XI): Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Cheteshwar Pujara, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni(w/c), Ravichandran Ashwin, Zaheer Khan, Umesh Yadav, Pragyan Ojha Billed as the revenge series, India would aim to pay England back in the same coin as the two teams renew their cricketing rivalry when they go into what promises to be an engrossing four-match Test rubber here starting here from Thursday.