Team India suffered a humiliating setback in the first Test against England at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, losing by 28 runs in a fiercely contested match.
Ollie Pope was the key architect behind England’s triumph, with the No. 3 hitter blasting a remarkable 196 in tough circumstances in the second innings.
Left-arm spinner Tom Hartley was another strong performer, taking nine wickets in the contest.
India, however, was forced to lament the dismal performances of several of its players.
At the same time, there were a couple of standout performances that deserved recognition.
On that topic, here are three players who shone and two who struggled for Team India in the first Test against England.
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No.5 Star – Jasprit Bumrah
Jasprit Bumrah is just exceptional, as he demonstrated in Hyderabad for the umpteenth time.
He took six wickets in the Test, including four in the second innings, to keep India’s faltering bowling attack going.
Bumrah was on fire throughout the match, and his two-wicket burst to dismiss Ben Duckett and Joe Root went a long way towards helping the home team get back in the game.
In the first essay, he also used a ripper to castle Ben Stokes.
Bumrah’s workload will have to be carefully regulated for the rest of the series since India is in critical need of his world-class skills.
No.4 Flop – Shubman Gill
Shubman Gill’s status in the Test team has been called into doubt for some time, and his performance in Hyderabad did not help his case.
Gill struggled his way to 23 off 66 balls in the first innings, an effort bereft of aim and confidence.
He ultimately walked back following a simple chip to midwicket.
Things got worse for the 24-year-old in the second inning, when he hit a two-ball duck.
Gill hasn’t lived up to his full potential at the Test level and has to improve fast.
No.3 Star – KS Bharat
This may seem like an unusual decision, but KS Bharat performed admirably in the first Test.
Bharat scored 41 and 28 in both innings despite the challenging conditions.
The keeper-batter was unlucky to be dismissed in both innings, with one ball keeping low and the other a peach that couldn’t be kept out.
Bharat was ready to battle in the second innings and was also neat behind the wickets.
The gloveman’s performance was extremely encouraging, and he will most likely be moved out of the starting lineup when Rishabh Pant returns.
No.2 Flop – Shreyas Iyer
Shreyas Iyer, another hitter whose recent Test results have been disappointing, had a difficult game against England.
And interestingly, it wasn’t even Mark Wood who disturbed the batter.
Shreyas scored 35 in the first innings but attempted to hurl Rehan Ahmed over the leg-side boundary, finding the solitary fielder stationed in the deep.
Then, in the second innings, when he needed to attack, the 29-year-old sought to blunt the ball and was caught at slip after attempting a soft prod.
Shreyas’ attitude and method of dismissal were both dubious in Hyderabad, as he did not perform enough in Virat Kohli’s absence.
No.1 Star – Ravichandran Ashwin
If Ravichandran Ashwin can be faulted for anything, it’s that he may not have done enough to offset the English batsmen’s unusual approach in both innings.
Aside from that, the veteran was on top of his game.
Ashwin claimed three wickets in each innings, unsettling the English openers and even dismissing Stokes with a ripper.
The off-spinner posed questions throughout the Test and was the only Indian spinner who did not concede runs.
Ashwin also fought hard with the bat in the second innings and could have done so in the first if Ravindra Jadeja hadn’t run him out.
Dancing down the track only to be rejected was not the best way to take a chance, but the veteran campaigner put up a valiant effort.
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