Debutant Keaton Jennings was England’s impact player on Thursday and R. Ashwin India’s, as Test cricket returned to the Wankhede Stadium after three years.
Riding on its left-handed opener’s single-minded and composed innings of 112, England, which lost three wickets in the post-Tea session, finished the opening day of the fourth Test at 288 for five, with Ashwin accounting for four.
After Alastair Cook had won the toss and elected to bat, Jennings took the challenge to the Indian spinners like a seasoned campaigner during the course of his four-and-a-half hour stay in the middle to make a splendid hundred that was embellished with bold reverse-hits.
Exactly a hundred batsmen had scored centuries on their Test debuts before Jennings, who became the 19th English cricketer to perform the feat.
Trailing 2-0 in the five-Test series, England looked to capitalise on the opportunity after winning the toss, and the highly skilled Cook and the newcomer Jennings accumulated runs to get the visitors off to a solid start.
The debutant did enjoy a slice of luck before he had opened his account; Karun Nair could not latch on to a tough chance at gully off a rising delivery from Umesh Yadav. Later, a DRS review went in his favour too.
Cook’s first boundary was a genuine edge off Bhuvneshwar Kumar that raced to the third-man fence. But, soon, he punched one straight down the ground and looked to be in control.
Nearing his half-century, Cook left his ground as he tried to hit Ravindra Jadeja with the spin over mid-wicket and was stumped by Parthiv Patel after a slight fumble in collecting the ball.
The opening stand had given England a firm footing, and the visitors went to Lunch at 117 for one.
In the eighth over after the break, Ashwin — who had pegged away for nine overs in the first session without success, and had a DRS call go against him — struck.
Perhaps Ashwin had been setting Joe Root up by bowling from very close to the stumps. The delivery that induced the edge was one that straightened. Initially moving the wrong way, Virat Kohli nevertheless managed the catch, two-handed, low to his left.
Ashwin continued to bowl with craft and cunning, but Jennings, coming into this Test after making a century for England Lions in the UAE, looked at ease. He left the ball going back and across, and excelled in forward defence too. He do not let the half-volleys go unpunished either, and was unafraid to leave his crease.
In his company, Moeen Ali kept the scoreboard busy, and the duo thrived as the home team missed out on some difficult chances.
But, immediately after completing his half-century, Moeen top-edged Ashwin to be held at mid-wicket.
The fall of his wicket triggered a minor collapse. Jennings was caught at deep gully off Ashwin, and Jonathan Bairstow top-edged a sweep to backward square-leg.
Another wicket would perhaps have decisively made it India’s day, but Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler stayed unbeaten, raising England’s hopes of posting a formidable total on a pitch that is likely to bring the spinners into play in a bigger way.
