IND vs ENG scorecard, 3rd Test, day 1 highlights: Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja help India boss the day in Rajkot

After a short break after the second Test in Hyderabad, India and England clashed with each other in the third match of the series. The third game of the five-match series between the two teams kickstarted at Saurashtra Cricket Ground in Rajkot on Thursday (15th February).

India won the toss and opted to bat first but it was the worst possible start for them in the match. England’s new ball bowlers in Mark Wood and James Anderson made the ball talk and troubled Indian batters a lot upfront with seam and swing.

Yashasvi Jaiswal was the first blow for India as he got out for 10 runs. However, after that, Shubman Gill bagged a 9-ball duck before Rajat Patidar perished for 5 runs. The hosts were left tottering 33/3 and were under immense pressure with England at the top.

With the team in trouble, skipper Rohit Sharma joined hands with Ravindra Jadeja and bailed the team out of trouble. The duo negotiated the tricky phase pretty well and made sure that they made England bowlers look clueless and made them think a lot.

Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja added 204 runs together for the fourth wicket and put the team in the dominant position. On tough track, the duo oozed their class and they way complimented each other was the highlight of their partnership.

Their staggering partnership was broken by Mark Wood as he removed India captain Rohit Sharma. The opening batter scored 131 runs off 196 balls and made sure that India went past 200 runs, which at one moment seemed difficult because of the kind of start they had.

Centuries from Jadeja (110*) and Rohit Sharma (131) guide #TeamIndia to 326/5 at Stumps on Day 1 of the 3rd Test.

Scorecard – https://t.co/eYpzVPnUf8 #INDvENG@IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/KVSDlNKmQG

— BCCI (@BCCI) February 15, 2024

IND vs ENG Scorecard, 3rd Test, Day 1 Highlights: Rohit Sharma, and Ravindra Jadeja help India boss Day 1 in Rajkot

After Rohit Sharma got out, Ravindra Jadeja held the fort for his team and slammed a magnificent ton. The all-rounder took charge and played staggering innings on his home ground. Debutant Sarfaraz Khan supported him well as the duo added 77 runs for the partnership.

Sarfaraz Khan had an unfortunate end to his innings. He had a mixup with Ravindra Jadeja and got run out for 62 runs. The all-rounder brought up his Test century and made sure that he made up for the run out of the Mumbai batter.

Ravindra Jadeja remained unbeaten at 110 off 212 balls with nine boundaries and two sixes and made sure India ended with total of over 300 runs on the board. At stumps on Day 1, India was 326 for five with Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav at the crease. They would be hoping to add more to the tally and go past 400 runs on the board to outplay the opposition in the first innings. 

For England, Mark Wood was the pick of the bowlers as he returned with the figures of 3/68. Apart from him Tom Hartley also picked one wicket whereas others failed to chip in. The visitors would’ve been gutted with themselves after the kind of start they had with the ball. 

3000 Test runs and counting for @imjadeja 🙌🙌#TeamIndia #INDvENG pic.twitter.com/jX3EIOlWtb

— BCCI (@BCCI) February 15, 2024

Brief scores

India: 326-5 (Rohit Sharma 131; Mark Wood 3/68)