Rohit, Jadeja smash centuries on Day 1 of the England Test

Fuelled by fluent centuries from captain Rohit Sharma and local boy Ravindra Jadeja, India dominated Day 1 of the third Test against England at Rajkot on Thursday as they piled up 326 runs for the loss of five wickets in 86 overs.

Winning the toss and electing to bat first, the hosts were in a spot of bother when they lost three quick wickets for just 33 runs. Yashasvi Jaiswal (10), Shubman Gill (0), and Rajat Patidar (5) were sent back to the pavilion in a jiffy. However, a magnificent 204-run partnership for the fourth wicket between Sharma (131; 196b, 14×4, 3×6) and Jadeja came to their rescue. The right-hand-left-hand combination worked wonders as the England bowlers found it difficult to tame the Indian batters. Sharma was dropped on 27 in the 13th over by Joe Root standing at first slip, and the 36-year-old Mumbai batter made England pay a heavy price for it.

Sharma was finally dismissed in the 64th over and was replaced by his fellow Mumbai counterpart Sarfaraz Khan, who made his Test debut. Sarfaraz, a prolific run-getter in domestic cricket, took to Test cricket like a duck to water. The right-handed batter muscled 62 runs off 66 balls, including nine fours and a six. Curtains were drawn on this entertaining knock as Mark Wood took full advantage of his mix-up with Jadeja, who was in his 90s and ran him out.

Unlike his fellow English mates, Wood had a good outing with the ball and on the field as he snapped 3/69 and was the most successful bowler. Giving him company in the wickets’ column was Tom Hartley, who claimed 1/81.

India will resume Day 2 with a healthy score and two left-handers in the middle. Jadeja is unbeaten on 110 (212), and Kuldeep Yadav (1), who handled himself well in the last four overs of the day’s play will begin the proceedings.