In a historic display of spin prowess, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, India’s formidable spin twins, etched their names into cricket annals on the opening day of the first Test against England in Hyderabad. The dynamic duo not only secured the first three wickets for India but also surpassed the iconic spin pair, Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh, in the all-time list of wickets taken as a pair for the country.
Ashwin and Jadeja’s combined tally reached an impressive 503 scalps as England found themselves three down. The legendary duo of Kumble and Harbhajan, who had previously held the record, amassed 501 wickets in tandem during their illustrious Test careers. Following closely on the historical ladder are Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan, another formidable pair, who together claimed 474 wickets for India.
The gripping contest unfolded with Ashwin’s breakthrough in the 12th over, dismissing Duckett. Subsequently, Jadeja added to England’s woes by removing Ollie Pope in the 15th over, leaving the visitors at a precarious position. Ashwin continued his mastery by claiming the scalp of Crawley in the 16th over.
A brilliant bowling display from Indian bowlers. 👏👏👏
— Usman Ali (@UsmanAli_97) January 25, 2024
3️⃣ for Ravi Ashwin
3️⃣ for Ravi Jadeja
2️⃣ for Axar Patel
2️⃣ for Jasprit Bumrah#WTC25 #INDvsENG #TestCricket #INDvsENG #ViratKohli𓃵 #BabarAzam𓃵 #BCCI #EnglandCricket #feypsv #PTITikTokJalsa #CricketTwitter#Cricket pic.twitter.com/PGbnqvHC2K
As the players retreated for lunch, England stood at 108/3, with Jonny Bairstow (32*) and Joe Root (18*) holding the fort. Opting to bat first after winning the toss, England, under Ben Stokes’ leadership, reached the 100-run milestone in the 26th over.
The opening pair of Crawley and Duckett had provided a solid foundation with a 55-run partnership, featuring impressive strokes including three fours from Crawley and seven from Duckett. Stokes’ decision to bat first seemed to pay off for the visitors in the early stages of the Test.
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