IND vs ENG 1st Test: Left-arm spinner Axar Patel delivered a crucial breakthrough for the Indian cricket team by dismissing England star Jonny Bairstow in the second session of Day 1 of the first Test between India and England at Hyderabad's Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. The left-arm spinner bowled an absolute ripper to castle Bairstow for 37 runs.
The magical delivery by Axar Patel turned away sharply, beating Jonny Bairstow's bat's outside edge and finding the top of the off-stump. The turn and precision of Patel's delivery left Bairstow visibly stunned. The breakthrough proved to be a crucial one for India, disrupting Bairstow's significant 61-run partnership with Joe Root.
Watch below viral video of Jonny Bairstow's dismissal
The five-match Test series between India and England kickstarted on January 25th (Thursday) at the Rajiv Gandhi Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad. Over the next month and a half, these two cricketing giants will engage in a series of challenging encounters, where England aims to test India's formidable home record with 'Bazzball'.
England 215/8 at Tea on Day 1
England captain Ben Stokes won the toss and elected to bat first. The English team made a positive start to their innings, but the introduction of spinners Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin into the bowling attack resulted in England falling from 55 for no loss of wickets to losing three wickets for just 5 runs. The mini-collapse left England reeling at 108-3 at lunch.
At tea on Day 1, England reached the score of 215/8 against India. The cricketing session saw England adding runs to the scoreboard, but India managed to make steady inroads into the wickets, securing five more dismissals in the post-lunch session to keep the opposition in check.