England 112 ao, India 99-3

International Test match Series India Vs England  at Ahmedabad

England  112 ao off 48.4 ov, Zak Crawley 53 off 84, 10 fours, Joe root 17 off 37, 2 fours, Axar Patel 6-38, Ravichandran Ashwin 3-26. Ishant Sharma 1-26.

India 99-3 off 33ov Rohit Sharma 57 off 82, 9 fours, Kohli 27 off 58, 3 fours, jack Leach 2-27, Archer 1-24

England won the toss and elected to bat slips from 74-2 to 122 all out as nine wickets fall to spin, with Axar 6-38 and Ashwin 3-26, after Crawly makes a fluent 53 in the Day-night third Test match at Ahmedabad. The four-match series is level at 1-1. The pitch looks dry with some cracks and expects the pace will be quicker compared to Chennai according to experts.

On the third over a classic delivery from Ishant Sharma outside the off-stump with an extra bounce as Sibley has no choice but to go at it and edges to Rohit Sharma at Second slip. On the seventh over  Axar strikes with his first ball a fine delivery from the local boy, as he crashes the ball onto Bairstow’s pads and gets LBW. England recovered from 29-2. Aswin picks up Captain Root with a short spell from around the wicket as Root makes a mistake to rock onto the backfoot and tad across between off and middle as  Crawley completes his 68-ball fifty and England are 74-3. Axar strike again gets Crawley removed after nipping drifter tails into beat him altogether 80-4. Pope scrape through to tea as Ashwin bowls him after Tea 81-5. Axar’s ball spins form into Stokes from the length and the hefty man moves back into his crease as he Swivels the bast a little away from the line and that has plotted his dismissal, England 81-6. A genius ball from Axar with a wider angle that hits the length and springs up to hip the top off, with Archer’s feet nowhere he is bowled, England 94-7. Ashwin comes over the wicket and rolls in a gentle off-spinner that bounces that bit to find Leaches outside edge as Pujara at second slip makes no mistake, England 100-8. Broad attempts to sweep Axar and top edges it straight to Bumrah at deep square leg. Axar smashes the stumps for his sixth wicket haul and gets Foakes in the process.

At close on Day one, India was 99-3 with Rohit Sharma batting on 57 with Ajinkya Rahane at the other end despite the departure of Indian captain Virat Kohli in the final over of the day to Jack Leach, as Joe Root went in with the pace-thronged attack. India lost Gill (11), who plotted his own downfall by pulling Archer’s fiery short delivery and get a top edge as Crawley Gobbles the skier at short leg,  Pujara 0  who attempts to defend Leah and hit the pads and given LBW that two wickets in quick succession India 34-2. Jack leach dismisses Kohli as he jags the ball back to the stumps from outside off as he moves back and a leg to attempt a cut India 99-3.

Out of habit Ben Stokes, who forget there, is an ongoing pandemic applies saliva on the ball between over caught by the umpire Nitin Menon who disinfects the ball before handing over to Archer.

Players from India and England have been admiring the £78m-refurbished Motera the world’s largest cricket stadium,  spanning 63 acres, has four entry points, with a state-of-the-art drainage system that will help the ground to dry up quickly in case of rain, (even a dormitory that can house 40 athletes), which can seat 110, spectators although because of Covid-19 pandemic only 55, 000 fans are allowed, at Ahmedabad, the biggest city in India’s western state of Gujarat, in the two tests to be player at the same venue. The day-night pink-ball Test, which started on Wednesday, is the first international match hosted at the stadium since November 2015 when it was demolished for reconstruction work. The stadium hosted former US President Donald Trump on his first official trip to India in February 2020 when he addressed over 100, 000 people alongside Prime Minister Narendra Modi.