England scripted a sensational comeback win against India on Day 4 of the first Test match at Hyderabad's Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Sunday. After Ollie Pope's brilliant 196, debutant Tom Hartley picked seven wickets to guide England to a thrilling 28-run win.
This is India's only 13th defeat in the 21st century and first-ever defeat after taking a 100-plus lead in the first innings at home. As expected spinners dominated the game but it was Pope's remarkable knock that made a difference and gave England a crucial 1-0 lead in the five-match Test series.
Chasing a 231-run target, India added 42 runs from the first wicket but lost Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill in the same over. England quickly balanced the game with captain Rohit Sharma's wicket who top-scored with 39 runs off 58 balls.
KL Rahul, who scored fifty in the first innings, added 32 runs for the fourth wicket with Axar Patel to put India in a comfortable position to finish the game. But Hartley's brilliance with a ball kept India under pressure resulting in a shock collapse.
Ravichandran Ashwin and KS Bharat added 57 runs for the eighth wicket to balance the game in the closing stages. But Hartley stunned the crowd by removing Bharat when only three overs were remaining on Day 4. He then dismissed Ashwin in his next over to stretch the game time.
Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj also kept the visiting side waiting by adding 25 runs for the last wicket. Hartley completed his rout with Siraj's wicket to bowl out India on 202 in 69.2 overs. Hartley took a combined nine wickets and also shone with a bat by scoring 57 runs in two innings.
More to follow...
