England registered an impressive 28-run win against India in the opening Test in Hyderabad, thanks to the momentum ignited by Ollie Pope's determined efforts and newcomer left-arm spinner Tom Hartley. India's pursuit of 231 runs took a drastic turn for the worse as Hartley's mesmerizing performance (7/62) dismantled India's top order, triggering a collapse that saw them bowled out for 202 in the final over of the day. With this win, England hold a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
This defeat marks India's fourth loss in home Tests since 2013 and their first-ever defeat in Hyderabad, spanning two venues in the city.
India's approach during the chase stood in stark contrast to Pope's aggressive stance against Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. The spin duo, though formidable, failed to wreak havoc on a surface that wasn't particularly spin-friendly. India captain Rohit Sharma believed the home side was in the game for a significant period, and he's not wrong. India took a massive 190-run lead against England in the first innings before Ollie Pope's aggressive 196-run knock proved game-changing for the English team.
“Cricket is played over four days, so it's hard to pinpoint where it went wrong. Having got a lead of 190, we thought we were very much in the game. (It was an) Exceptional batting (by Ollie Pope), one of the best that I have seen in Indian conditions by an overseas batter,” Rohit Sharma said in the post-match presentation.
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The Indian captain believed the 231-run target was achievable on a track that wasn't spinning much but insisted the batting effort was lacklustre in the second innings.
"I thought 230 was gettable, there wasn't too much in the pitch. We didn't bat well enough to get to the score. I went and checked where we bowled, we bowled in the right areas. When you finish the day, you analyse what went well and what didn't go well.
“The bowlers executed the plans really well, but you got to take your hat off and say well played to Pope. That was some serious knock,” said Rohit.
Following the top and middle-order collapse that left India reeling at 119/7, KS Bharat (28) and Ravichandran Ashwin (28) led India's fightback, and following their dismissals, Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah forged another 25-run stand that ignited India's hopes for a while. Siraj was eventually dismissed in the last over of Day 4.
“We didn't bat well enough to get to that score. I wanted them (Siraj and Bumrah) to take the game to the fifth day. 20-30 runs, anything is possible. The lower order actually fought really well there and showed the top order that you need to fight it out. You need to show character, you need to be brave enough, which I thought we weren't. We wanted to take some chances, we didn't take chances with the bat. But that can happen. It's the first game of the series, I hope the guys can learn from that,” Rohit said.
(With inputs from agencies)