In the opening match of the India vs. England Test series at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, England encountered a formidable challenge from India’s spin trio—Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel. Choosing to bat first after winning the toss, England captain Ben Stokes felt the heat on the opening day as the Indian spinners claimed eight wickets, rendering the ‘Bazball’ approach ineffective. A viral video captured Indian spectators mocking the England team and their renowned ‘Bazball’ style of play.

After Ben Stokes won the toss and opted to bat, the Indian bowling unit delivered a strong performance, dismissing the visitors for a mere 246 shortly into the third session of play. Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja claimed three wickets each, while Jasprit Bumrah and Axar Patel contributed with two wickets each.

The crowd in Hyderabad thoroughly relished India’s performance and exhibited great enthusiasm. In a widely circulated video on social media, spectators, perticulary the ‘Bharat’ Army  were observed playfully teasing the England team and their renowned ‘Bazball’ style of play under Captain Ben Stokes. The video, shared by the prominent Indian fan group ‘Bharat Army’ on X (formerly Twitter), captured the crowd chanting, “White ball. Red ball. Where is your bazball?”

Watch The Viral Video Here:

👀 White ball. Red ball. Where is your Bazball?#INDvENG #INDvsENG #TeamIndia #BharatArmy #COTI🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/hvs1StJYLu

— The Bharat Army (@thebharatarmy) January 25, 2024

India’s Strong Reply Led By Jaiswal

In response to England’s total of 246, Indian openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma started their innings aggressively, achieving an impressive score of 68 in the initial 10 overs. Unfortunately, Rohit Sharma’s innings was curtailed as he fell to England’s spinner Jack Leach, skying a back-of-length delivery and getting caught by Ben Stokes. Despite this setback, Jaiswal continued his aggressive performance, driving India’s score to 119 with only one wicket down by the end of the 23rd over at stumps on day 1.

India would aim to keep their attacking batting approach going on a pitch still friendly for batting and would aim to establish a substantial total beyond England’s lead. On the other hand, England will seek to capitalise on the pitch’s spin-friendly conditions, striving to capture early wickets on day 2 to regain control of the match.