Dharamsala: Zak Crawley made a classy unbeaten half-century after surviving an extended opening spell from the Indian pacers before Kuldeep Yadav struck twice to leave the visitors at 100 for two at lunch on day one of the fifth and final Test here Thursday.
On expected lines, the skillful duo of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj made the ball talk but Ben Duckett (27 off 58) and Crawley (61 batting off 71) were able to see the first 14 overs of fast bowling after being beaten multiple times.
Crawley, who has been England’s stand-out batter in this series, was meticulous with his shot selection and played some delightful cover drives off the pacers on way to his half-century.
That's Lunch on Day 1 of the Dharamsala Test!
2⃣ strikes from #TeamIndia as England moved to 100.
Stay Tuned for Second Session!
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/jnMticF6fc #INDvENG | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/dLcJIpIySM
— BCCI (@BCCI) March 7, 2024
Siraj ended up bowling eight overs in the morning session and Bumrah seven with both conceding 24 runs.
R Ashwin, playing his 100th Test, was the first change before Kuldeep came to bowl in the 18th over.
Despite being hit for two fours off his first five balls, Kuldeep was not afraid to flight the ball and was rewarded as Duckett’s mistimed hit was pouched by Shubman Gill, who took a spectacular catch running backwards from cover.
Like Duckett, Crawley too was beaten by the pacers in the first hour of play but he picked the right balls to flaunt his cover drives. He also survived a close DRS call before reaching his fourth half-century of the series with a boundary down the ground.
In the next over, Crawley stepped out to smash Ashwin for a six over long on.
Kuldeep’s second strike came at the stroke of lunch as Ollie Pope (11) stepped out only to be beaten by the Indian spinner’s googly and to get stumped.
