India started their new WTC cycle while going against Joe Root led England at Trent Bridge, Nottingham. The game was interrupted by rain several times during the 5-day play. Although India was in a winning position rain gods helped England to avoid the defeat as the match ended in a draw.
Virat Kohli’s toss losing streak continued and they were invited to bowl first, which was actually good for India. Notably, India made a surprising change in playing XI by not including, Ravichandran Ashwin. However, that move turned out to be good as there was no support for spinners from the surface.
Meanwhile, Indian bowlers did a great job by stopping England at the score of just 183. Only Joe Root from the England side scored good runs for the team as he went on to brilliant 64 runs. Every bowler from the Indian pace battery which consisted of Bumrah, Shami, Siraj, and Shardul got at least one wicket. Especially Jasprit Bumrah looked amazing as he picked a 4-wicket haul.
In India’s first innings KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja were the top two performers both the players went on to score a fifty. Meanwhile opener KL Rahul scored amazing 84 runs for India. England’s new recruit Ollie Robinson bagged a 5 wicket haul and James Anderson picked 4 wickets.
During England’s second innings Joe Root was the lone warrior once again. Root smashed an exceptional century against an incredible Indian pace battery. Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah once again shined as he grabbed a 5-wicket haul under his belt. Also, England managed to give India a 209 target to chase.
During the last and final Day, India needed 157 runs to win with Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara on the crease. However, due to continuous rain, the match was abandoned at Trent Bridge, Nottingham. Also, the match was declared drawn, team England got the favor from the rain as India was in a pretty strong position to win.
Here is what Indian Captain Virat Kohli and England Captain Joe Root said in post match press conference
Virat Kohli : We were expecting rain on days three and four but it chose to come on day five. It would have been enjoyable to play and watch, but it’s a shame. This is exactly what we wanted to do; start strong. On day five we knew we had our chances. We certainly felt like we were on top of the game. Getting that lead was crucial, but it’s a shame we couldn’t finish day five. Getting to fifty overnight was important. We just didn’t want to play for survival.
Our intent kept us ahead. It’s hard work of three odd weeks for our bowlers with the bat. We were talking of a lead of 40-odd but we ended up with 95 and those runs were gold dust. Most likely this will be our template in this series, but adaptability has been our strength. The conditions and the pace on the wicket needs to be seen, but this team will be our template. England and India have always been a blockbuster, and looking forward to the next Test.
Joe Root: The weather disrupted what would have been a very interesting final day. Great Test match to play in and watch as well. Sets up the series really well and hopefully we can take it into the next games. We certainly believed we could win. We knew we would have opportunities if we took our catches and kept our fields. It’s a shame it ended this way. There are certain areas where we want to get better in. We want to get better at the top of the order and take our catches. We need strong characters. We want to keep that enthususiasm in, it is fun scoring runs and a fun game.
Really relishing the opportunities in front of us. We have to deal with till the schedule changes and the setup changes. The experienced guys have it easier going from white ball to Test cricket, but the youngers guys might not have that experience. It must be quite challenging for our youngsters, but that’s no excuse. To finally get to my century was a relief given how I played throughout the day. I think India have a very good seam attack and credit to them for the way they bowled. I just wanted to put the pressure back on them with a few shots. Certainly feel full of confidence on the back of that.
