India’s experienced fast bowler Mohammed Shami believes the team is in good position after bowling out England for 183 runs on the opening day of the first Test match at Trent Bridge, Nottingham. The England captain Joe Root won the crucial toss and decided to bat first in the challenging overcast conditions.
The Indian bowlers were able to make the most of the conditions as Jasprit Bumrah was able to strike in the very first over and pinged Rory Burns in front of the wickets. Subsequently, India were able to get regular wickets throughout the innings.
In fact, the match was in a balance at 138-3 at one stage but the hosts lost six wickets for only 22 runs and bundled like a pack of cards. Joe Root was England’s best batsman as he scored 64 runs and added 74 runs with Jonny Bairstow, who scored 29 runs.
Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah was the pick of the bowlers for India as he scalped four wickets and conceded only 46 runs. Shami, on the other hand, was also right on the money as he scalped three wickets for 28 runs. Furthermore, Shardul Thakur bagged a brace and Mohammed Siraj got the wicket of Zak Crawley, who was looking good.
“Getting England bowled out for 183 is a good position to be in. We should be able to capitalize on it,” Shami told the press after the first day’s play. “In fact, if you bowl out any home side for that score, it’s a good place to be. We need to be careful in the first session of the second day. The ball hasn’t really done much, we reaped the rewards for bowling good lengths and in good areas.”
On the other hand, Shami feels the first hour of the second day will be crucial for the Indian batsmen. Indian openers – Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul – had got off to a cautious start as they added 21 runs before stumps were called on the first day’s play. Thus, India is trailing by 162 runs and can put their noses ahead on the second day if they come up with a good batting performance.
“We need to focus hard in the first hour and preserve wickets. We need to think about the lead after reaching their score. Our batters shouldn’t think of 183 or 283; we just need to focus and keep adding runs on the board,” added Shami.
