India vs England: Below-par score, Ollie Pope's century — Where did hosts lose the first Test?

Team India received a reality check in the first Test against England in Hyderabad on Sunday after they succumbed to a 28-run defeat. Ollie Pope made the difference with a century whereas spinner Tom Hartley was impactful with a seven-fer as England dominated most of the second half of the Test to clinch a memorable victory. The hosts were set a target of 231 on Day four of the first Test on Sunday. However, it just wasn’t meant to be for Rohit Sharma and Co as a majority of the batters failed to fire and get those big knocks. Read: England give India a reality check as ‘Bazball’ announces itself So where did India lose the first Test? First innings total Knocks from Yashasvi Jaiswal (80) and Ravindra Jadeja (87) had set India the platform for a big total, and even Shreyas Iyer (35), KS Bharat (41) and Axar Patel (44) stepped up with vital contributions. All of these knocks were vital in Team India posting 436 in the first innings with a lead of 190 runs, having replied to England’s first innings of 246. However, it later proved to be that such a lead was not safe, so much that, Rahul Dravid felt that India were at least 70 runs short. “I thought we left probably 70 runs on the board in the first innings. You know, I think in our first innings, when conditions were pretty good to bat in on day two, I thought in the kinds of situations we got ourselves into, some good starts and we didn’t really capitalise,” Dravid said at the post-match press conference on Sunday. “We didn’t get a hundred, you know, we didn’t get somebody getting a really big hundred for us. So, in some ways, in India, I just felt we left those 70, 80 runs back in the hut in the first innings,” he added. Ollie Pope’s destructive knock Having said that, Ollie Pope’s knock of 196 was a game-changer for England. He’s been clinical against the spinners in the past and once again, against India he showcased why he just cannot be written off. And more importantly, Pope had the right approach against the Indian spinners. He mastered the sweeps and reverse sweeps, something that was part of England’s training camp during the 15 days they spent in Abu Dhabi.

Test cricket ❤️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 pic.twitter.com/aqnNoqZ3SI

— Ollie Pope (@OPope32) January 28, 2024

Pope’s knock on the third day of the Test was something that could take the game away from the opposition. And the outcome was exactly that. Did India miss Kuldeep? Even before the Test started, Rahul Dravid had expected the Hyderabad track to turn as the match progressed. And it turns out that the India head coach was right. Indian spinners dictated the terms in the first innings, taking eight of 10 wickets, and England, who were short of an experienced spinner, didn’t even feel like it given the way Tom Hartley turned things around with his seven-fer. One bowler who was relatively less effective with the ball for India was Mohammed Siraj. Siraj finished wicketless figures in both innings, and maybe, India could have looked at wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav as a fourth spinner option, especially given what he offers. Having Kuldeep in place of Siraj would have meant India could have had an effective bowler in terms of variations, and more importantly, he would have been able to offer huge turn with the ball. Tom Hartley’s spell Tom Hartley might have certainly taken Indians by surprise with his seven-wicket haul. So much for Hartley’s destruction, India batters failed to showcase intent. And more so, that second innings collapse even showed that the hosts were missing Kohli big time, who will also miss the second match due to personal reasons. Tom Hartley had his plans intact right from the word go. After enduring figures of 2/131 in the first innings, Hartley had a clear mindset in the second innings. Hartley got rid of India’s top-order, including Jaiswal, Rohit and Gill. And to see off Axar Patel, it was a soft caught and bowled dismissal from Hartley.

A week to remember 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 pic.twitter.com/e5SDfafk6U

— Tom Hartley (@tomwhartley2) January 28, 2024

And just when India were slowly gathering momentum with a 50-plus stand between Ashwin and KS Bharat, Hartley struck again, cleaning up KS Bharat with a delivery that offered enough turn. That partnership was probably the last hope for India, and it really did not need enough for Hartley to wrap things up, with a  Ben Foakes stumping Ashwin and Siraj in a gap of six overs to wrap up the match. While consistency will be key for Hartley in the second Test, one thing he has let the opposition know is that he can be a man for the big occasions and cannot be taken lightly no matter what.