On the first day of the fifth Test against England at Edgbaston, India was saved by a breath-taking 222-run partnership between Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja.
The bowling of veteran James Anderson in the early hours of the day delighted a packed Birmingham crowd on Friday, as the hosts reduced the Indian batting order to 98/5 at the end of the 28th over. That didn’t last long, as Pant danced down the track and began attacking the pacers alongside Ravindra Jadeja, who had played second fiddle all day.
Pant’s bravado took over after he reached his half-century mark, as he took on Jack Leach and began depositing out of the park.
The pair added 222 runs for the sixth wicket, the highest partnership for the sixth wicket by an Indian team in England. This was also India’s joint fourth-highest Test partnership.
Dilip Vengsarkar and former Indian coach Ravi Shastri still hold the highest partnership record with 298* runs against Australia at Wankhede.
Pant was dismissed by former captain Joe Root just short of 150 runs, bringing the partnership to an end. Pant had scored 146 runs off just 111 balls when he left the field.
The knock completely changed the complexion of the game, with India dominating the majority of the second and third sessions.
Following Pant’s dismissal, England was able to dismiss Shardul Thakur as well, giving them some control at the end of the day’s play.
With Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammad Shami batting, India will start the second day of the Test match with 338/7 on the board. Rain is expected to fall, but it is not expected to be as heavy as it was on the first day of the Test match.
Source:IT