India v England: First Test Drawn as Hosts Cling on in Rajkot

England gave India a huge scare on the final afternoon before the first Test in Rajkot ended in a draw.

Set 310 from a minimum of 49 overs, India slumped to 71-4 with at least 25 left, but were steadied by Virat Kohli (49 not out) and Ravichandran Ashwin.

Ashwin and Wriddhiman Saha fell in the space of 16 balls, before Ravi Jadeja joined Kohli to take India to 172-6.

Alastair Cook made 130 in the tourists’ 260-3 declared, with Haseeb Hameed (82) missing out on a debut century.

The second of the five Tests begins in Visakhapatnam on Thursday.

England, heavy underdogs at the start of the series, will travel east buoyed by this performance. They dictated the terms for most of the Test and, in the end, world number ones India were hanging on.

In making 537, England became the first visiting team to claim a first-innings lead in India for four years, their spinners outbowled India’s and Hameed may have ended the long search for an opener to partner Cook.

But Visakhapatnam is likely to offer much more for the slow bowlers, which could favour India and provide England with a sterner challenge.

“England will take confidence from having competed well and they outperformed India,” said ex-England batsman Geoffrey Boycott on BBC Test Match Special. “But in five Tests, I’d suspect somewhere the ball will turn earlier, so winning the toss could be very important.”

Courtesy : BBC