The five-Test series in India was going to be the biggest test of England's cavalier approach to batting in red-ball cricket. Unfortunately for them, the opening day of the Hyderabad Test on Thursday was not great advertisement for "Bazball".
After a manic day with numerous plays and misses and sharp turn for spinners, India took control of the match, and also exposed some major flaws in England's batting approach.
The visitors decided to bat first and openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley went after India's new ball bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Siraj, humming along at five an over. But both seamers beat the bat of the openers more often than not.
India introduced the spin inside 10 overs. Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin were going to pose a whole new level of threat because when they beat the bat, they generally strike.
Ashwin did so early, trapping Duckett lbw. Ollie Pope fended at Jadeja to be caught at slip and Crawley spooned a drive to mid off. At 60-3, the momentum had shifted.
Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow, with superior techniques than other England players, countered with even more attacking cricket. They quickly put together 61 runs before Bairstow (37 off 58 balls) was bowled neck and crop while defending to the third of India's spin trio – Axar Patel.
Root is the most accomplished batsman in the England team, but also guilty of playing the riskiest shots. One such sweep off Jadeja was easily pouched at short fine leg for 29 as England lost half their side for 125.
From there, the visitors could have easily been bowled out for 150. But the architect of England's new approach to Test cricket was still batting. Stokes only needed one batsman to stay at the other end so that he could open his shoulders and swing through the line.
He found unlikely support from debutant spinner Tom Hartley, who came in at 155-7. A few good connections against the spinners from him is all that was needed to fire up Stokes, who blasted 70 from just 88 balls, while taking particular liking to Jadeja (3-88).
Hartley's 23 from 24 balls was invaluable, as it helped England post 246, which seems neither here nor there. But it was at least something to bowl at.
Stokes was the last man out, missing an off-cutter from Bumrah to lose his stumps, having smashed six fours and three sixes.
Ashwin finished with 3-68 to inch close to the 500-wicket mark.
There was some anguish at the fall of Stokes' wicket. Maybe the captain was wondering if he could have at least come close to the ball. Or maybe whether England's top-order batsmen could have shown just a little more application on what is sure to be a square turner over the coming days.
When it was India's turn to bat, they showed how to impose themselves on the bowlers. Yashasvi Jaiswal hit the first ball of spinner Hartley over midwicket for a six, and, in the company of captain Rohit Sharma, scored at nearly seven an over in the first 10 overs.
Even after Sharma was dismissed by Jack Leach for 24, Jaiswal did not slow down.
He went to stumps on 76 from 70 balls, with nine fours and three sixes. India ended the day on 119-1 from just 23 overs – a vastly superior run rate than England's 3.8 and that, too, after playing far fewer risky strokes.
Test cricket is possibly a bit more straightforward than England are making it. But at least the opening day was great entertainment for the sizeable crowd at Uppal.
The Indians trail the tourists by 127 runs with nine wickets in hand. If England don't gather themselves quickly, the Test could well be gone by stumps tomorrow.
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Results
Greatest Royal Rumble match listing
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Tomorrow 2021
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So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
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Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
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MATCH INFO
First Test at Barbados
West Indies won by 381 runs
Second Test at Antigua
West Indies won by 10 wickets
Third Test at St Lucia
February 9-13
Key 2013/14 UAE Motorsport dates
October 4: Round One of Rotax Max Challenge, Al Ain (karting)
October 1: 1 Round One of the inaugural UAE Desert Championship (rally)
November 1-3: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (Formula One)
November 28-30: Dubai International Rally
January 9-11: 24Hrs of Dubai (Touring Cars / Endurance)
March 21: Round 11 of Rotax Max Challenge, Muscat, Oman (karting)
April 4-10: Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge (Endurance)
Jawan
The specs
Engine: 2.3-litre, turbo four-cylinder
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Power: 300hp
Torque: 420Nm
Price: Dh189,900
On sale: now
Profile of MoneyFellows
Founder: Ahmed Wadi
Launched: 2016
Employees: 76
Financing stage: Series A ($4 million)
Investors: Partech, Sawari Ventures, 500 Startups, Dubai Angel Investors, Phoenician Fund
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The Bio
Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Favourite place to relax in UAE: the desert around Al Mleiha in Sharjah or the eastern mangroves in Abu Dhabi
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His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
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Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 523hp
Torque: 750Nm
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THE SPECS
Jaguar F-Pace SVR
Engine: 5-litre supercharged V8
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Power: 542bhp
Torque: 680Nm
Price: Dh465,071
Name: Brendalle Belaza
From: Crossing Rubber, Philippines
Arrived in the UAE: 2007
Favourite place in Abu Dhabi: NYUAD campus
Favourite photography style: Street photography
Favourite book: Harry Potter
ABU DHABI ORDER OF PLAY
Starting at 10am:
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Ekaterina Alexandrova v Zarina Diyas
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