England made a firm start to their tour of India after clinching a dominating win of 227 runs against the Indians in the first Test at Chennai. The James Anderson-led bowling attack had a gala time toying with the mighty Indian batsmen. England went 1-0 in the four-match series, increasing their chances of entering the World Test Championship finals against New Zealand.
IND vs ENG: Jofra Archer slams the Chepauk pitch
The visitors displayed an all-round performance in all the three departments. However, speedster Jofra Archer was far from impressed with the pitch which was used for the first Test at Chepauk. 25-year-old Archer stated that it was one of the worst pitch he has ever seen in his career.
“On the fifth day, it was probably the worst surface I’ve seen — its orange colour, bits missing, rough patches for the bowlers to aim at. When we walked out in search of nine wickets on the fifth day, I was very hopeful we would complete the job — although these Indian players have big reputations and are at home, so should be able to cope with conditions better than anyone. So, I didn’t expect us to skittle them. Equally, I didn’t expect it to finish not long after afternoon drinks,” wrote Archer in his column for the Daily Mail.
Jofra Archer is hoping to feature in England’s playing XI for the second Test as well citing their rotational policy in the bowling department. Archer is confident that he has the calibre to pull off a great result in back-to-back Test games.
“There are only three days between Tests, and we use a rotation policy for the fast bowlers, but I have played back-to-back Tests before and, even though the heat can be taxing here, I know I can perform to the same level again,” added Archer. The second Test between India and England will begin on 13th February from 9:30 AM IST onwards at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.
IND vs ENG: What happened in the first Test
After a glorious win in Australia, Indian fans were looking for yet another domination from their side against England in their own soil. However, the ‘Men in Blue’ displayed a completely antithetical performance of what was expected of them. The Virat Kohli-led side allowed the visitors to walk over them completely. England went on to win the first Test 227 runs as they took a 1-0 lead in the four-match Test series.
The Indian bowlers were left without any answers as Joe Root and Co. totally dismantled the host’s bowling attack in the first innings. The likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane failed to rise in the crunch situation for India allowing the Englishmen to enter the second innings with a lead of 241 runs.
While the Indian bowlers made a decent comeback in the second innings, England still managed to leave a heavy total of 420 runs for the Indians to chase. James Anderson-led English bowlers thumped the Indian batsmen for just 192 runs as India lost their first home Test in four years.
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