Rajkot: India lost three wickets early after they opted to bat first in the third Test in Rajkot.
But thanks to fifty from Rohit Sharma, the team recovered in time and looked steady at the end of the first session. Ravindra Jadeja, who came in to bat at number 5, has looked in good touch so far in the innings. Mark Wood picked up the first two wickets on what is a great surface to bat on.
Without the likes of Virat Kohli, KL Rahul and more, India will field a less experienced Test side filled with lots of youngsters hungry to make their mark for the country. It is Test number 100 for Ben Stokes and surely he will look to win it to take lead in this series.
Wood struck early, dismissing Yashasvi Jaiswal caught by Joe Root in the slip in his second over, limiting the promising batsman, who had notched a double century in the previous Test, to a mere 10 runs. In his subsequent over, Wood sent Shubman Gill back to the pavilion for a duck caught behind by the wicketkeeper. Ben Stokes introduced spin in the ninth over, reaping immediate rewards as Rajat Patidar fell for five, deceived by left-arm spinner Tom Hartley’s extra bounce.
With Shreyas Iyer dropped from the squad and KL Rahul ruled out of the third Test, it is a debut for the likes of Sarfaraz Khan or Dhruv Jurel in the Test.