While locking horns in the first Test match, England defeated India by 28 runs. That was a non-desired defeat for Team India. Despite controlling England in the first innings, India lost control. In the last innings, the batters could not make any impact in the game. Despite clinching the win in the first Test match, England pacer Mark Wood thinks that India can change the pitch and conditions for the upcoming matches.
India’s Defeat:
For the first Test of the five-match Test series, England faced India at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. While batting first, the English batting lineup struggled in front of the Indian spinners. Ashwin-Jadeja duo was outstanding. In that crucial situation, Ben Stokes stood tall and played an inning of 70 runs.
India played well in the first innings. Young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal scored 80 runs in 74 balls. After losing some wickets quickly, KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja made an amazing partnership. Rahul scored 86 runs and Jadeja walked away after scoring 87. India started struggling when England started their second innings. Ollie Pope played an unbelievable knock of 196 runs in 278 balls. That strengthened the innings for England.
On the other hand, Team India struggled from the beginning of their second innings. After struggling in the first innings, English bowler Tom Hartley made an amazing comeback. He picked up 7 wickets in 62 runs. That changed all equations. India got all out on 202 runs and lost the match by 28 runs.
Mark Wood’s Thoughts:
Fast bowler Mark Wood is optimistic about India’s ability to alter pitch and conditions in the upcoming matches after their loss in the first Test. He highlighted India’s versatility in creating various types of pitches, including spin-friendly ones, surfaces supporting pacers, and flat tracks. Wood believes the hosts can strategically adapt to different playing conditions in the ongoing series.
Mark Wood said, “I don’t know what they will produce. India have got the potential to produce any wicket here. I’ve played in World Cup games and IPL games where it’s seamed, flat pitches, spinning wickets. They have the potential to do any wicket they want. But now, we’ve given them something to think about. It’s not a foregone conclusion that we are going to turn up here and they’re going to spin us out.”
On a crucial point, English batter Ollie Pope played an excellent knock of 196 runs in 278 balls. That was a turning point for England’s second innings. While praising him, Wood said, “Ollie Pope has played a fantastic knock, they’re now going to have to go analyze, like we would do if things didn’t go well, and analyze how they are going to try and combat that.”
He also talked about their goal for the next match. He said, “We’ve won one game, it’s a hell of an achievement, but I don’t think we need to get too far ahead of ourselves. Don’t build this up now and say, ‘Ah we’re going to win’. It’s the same again. Go into the next game with the same belief, the same process and hopefully get the same result.”
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