England beat India by 28 runs in the 1st Test  

It was a dream Test debut for England’s Tom Hartley as he finished off the things in style for his team on Sunday at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. The 24-year-old left arm spinner snapped 7/62 in the fourth innings of the match to steer England to a 28-run momentous win over India. Winning the match towards the fag end of Day 4, England have taken a 1-0 lead in the five-match Test series.

The day started with England leading by 126 runs. They added another 114 to set a target of 231 for India. Ollie Pope was the star performer for England as he had a lion’s share in this run tally. Pope fell four short of a well-deserved double century as he was dismissed on 196 by Jasprit Bumrah (4/41). During his stay at the crease, Pope stitched 64-run partnership with Rehan Ahmed for the seventh wicket and 80-run partnership with Hartley for the eighth wicket.

Chasing 231 for a win on a Day 4 pitch was not going to be easy for the hosts. Apart from the 42-run partnership between the opening pair of captain Rohit Sharma (39) and Yashasvi Jaiswal and 57-run stand between Srikar Bharat (28) and Ravichandran Ashwin (28) for the eighth wicket, there was nothing much from the other Indian batters. England spinners had a fantastic day with the ball claiming all the wickets and bowling out India for 202.

The first Test was a great advertisement of the longest form of the game as it went through the ebbs and flows. Both teams played exciting cricket and fought their hearts out right through every session on all four days.

The five-match series has certainly started on a high and it is only expected to get better as it progresses. The second Test between India and England will be played from February 2 to 6 at Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam.