Ifs, buts, and maybes!

That Englands barnstorming brand of Test cricket will face its toughest evaluation across days to follow was no exaggeration. Perhaps, their sub-par performance in a cold and blustery Rajiv Gandhi Stadium on the opening day of the first Test against India may have evidenced a guilty conscience too soon, who knows! India appeared to be able to get the best of both worlds when it comes to Englands flamboyantly energetic style of play. Did I hear ‘bazball? India can adore its ambitions, while the English do much of the combative talking, knowing the match has begun to tilt in the hosts favour, heading to the second day and promising themselves there is much better to come from them than was shown on Thursday. Also Read: Will ‘Bazball unleash its artistry in India? In fact, such were the fine margins on the opening day that any number of little moments could be looked back on as proving the difference, the most important being Indias astute spinners stirring up upheaval among English batters in the first session. Not that Englands bowling has been very ideal, but it is their incessant batting catastrophes that draw conspicuous scrutiny. Barring skipper Ben Stokes whirlwind 70, Englands woes with the willow in Hyderabad was the latest in a worrisome string of collapses for the Test team over the past two years. Though they had started the day briskly, with Ben Duckett (35) and Zak Crawley (20) stitched an opening stand of 55, with regular boundaries off Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. But the joy didnt last long. Spin was soon brought into the game, and the Indian pair of Ravindra Jadeja-Ravichandran Ashwin scalped three apiece in no time. England reached 41 at the loss of no wickets in eight overs, however when Ashwin, so often a thorn in their side, trapped Duckett in front of the wickets, it was a case of deja vu all over again. Also Read: ‘Not all heroes wear capes! Minutes later, Crawley gave away his wicket to craftsman Ashwin after a mistimed shot at mid-off to make way for an easy catch to Siraj. Jonny Bairstow added 37 runs in a partnership of 61 with Joe Root, who could manage not more than 29 runs on the board. Bairstow soon found the going tough with the ball not coming on to the bat and therefore, fell prey to left-arm spinner Axar Patel after lunch to roaring cheers from the home crowd. Root managed to see through the next couple of overs before Jadeja trapped him at short fine-leg. England have been guilty of relying too much on their skipper Ben Stokes in the past and once again, the feisty all-rounder played sparkling shots all around the wicket, eventually taking pressure off his team. On a docile pitch that is Hyderabads, it needed a strong resolve from Stokes who amped it up, sweeped out of the rough, drove against the tide, and lofted down the ground. Having put together key lower-order stands with Tom Hartley and Mark Wood, Stokes immense hunger to be one above his opponent was on full display as he flexed his willow. But the bowlers did not help his cause by failing to rip the heart out of the Indian batting lineup in the second session. Either this or India have been too exceptional with the bat throughout the innings, or else how would one put young Jaiswals innings into words? In fact, English bowlers looked rather ordinary in the middle overs with the well-set Indian opening pair rotating strike regularly besides picking up a plethora of boundaries. Jaiswal was the aggressor in the partnership from the word go as Rohit played anchor. Rohit was content picking singles at the other end while anything loose on offer was put away behind the rope, before he trudged back to pavilion after a mistimed shot off left-arm spinner Jack Leach. Englands expansive new style seems far from infallible, and Rohits India are far from quaking in their boots. A crucial inning awaits India and given the nature of the surface, Jaiswal will first aim to erase the deficit and eventually take the lead on Friday. The views expressed here are the authors personal views, and do not represent the views of Mid-Day.