Team India returned to action in the longest format of the game on Thursday as the side took on England in the first Test of the series in Hyderabad. English captain Ben Stokes opted to bat after winning the toss on a pitch that assisted significant turn, with both sides playing three frontline spinners. India, led by Rohit Sharma, did begin the proceedings with pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj but switched to spinners after the ninth over of the game. Until then, England had been cruising in their aggressive start to the innings but lost three quick wickets as the spin twins of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja wreaked havoc on the top order.
Ashwin picked two while Jadeja dismissed the no.3 batter Ollie Pope; as soon as the third wicket fell – with Ashwin dismissing Zak Crawley on 20 – the legendary Indian spin twins scripted a new Indian record. Ashwin and Jadeja now hold the top position among the highest Test wicket-taking duos in India, surpassing Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh.
Before the start of the Test, the Indian duo was a wicket behind the former India spin twins (503 wickets). Incidentally, the third spot also features Harbhajan, as he picked 474 wickets alongside pacer Zaheer Khan.
In international cricket, the famed English duo of James Anderson and Stuart Broad hold the record for most wickets, with 1039 dismissals to their name. Broad had retired from all forms of international cricket following the Ashes 2023. Australia’s Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne are the only other pair with over a thousand wickets (1001) in the longest format.
Following the top-order collapse in the first session, Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow did attempt to rebuild the innings, with England reaching 108/3 at Lunch. However, both were dismissed soon after the resumption of play, with Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja picking the two wickets.
