Daijiworld Media Network

Rajkot, Nov 10: A day that lit up the entire winter. In what was supposed to be a mere formality of steamrolling with most pundits, including the most conservative ones not giving the English even the luxury of starting off badly to make their punts, a score of 311 on the first day for the loss of only four wickets is surely bound to draw comparisons with their friends in America embarking on similar quests. Well they can't be faulted given the session collapse in Dhaka, the absence of spinners, the inexperience of the batsmen and the probability of the series being played on raging turners. And this could well end up in yet another familiar ending, an ending Indian fans have been chewing for breakfast since 2012. But not if the proceedings yesterday were anything to go by. And all it took was a slow batting paradise and the men who did it the last time around to show up.

Pitch report: Sunil Gavaskar says, 'As I said about this pitch with the kind of grass that is there, the bounce will be there. There seems to be a lot of green today. There are some cracks but they are far away from where the ball is going to land. It looks to me that England are going to get at least 450 on this track.' Nasser Hussain adds, 'After 30 overs yesterday, the ball started to reverse. Even after 80 overs, the ball was carrying through. Little bit surprised that India have prepared this pitch for England. I think England would want 500 on this track and the best team will win.' Sunny also opines that India will take the new ball straightaway.

Closer to where the action is, Hindustan Times were pretty scathing in their review of India's fielding and some of the on-field tactics.
'England slip through India's fingers' was how they put it. 'For once, Kohli’s marshalling of the troops too was not up to the mark. He failed to apply pressure after lunch when the momentum was with him, having taken three wickets. The new batsman Moeen could have been targeted,' they further added. 'Hundreds are back in currency' was Indian Express' cheeky way of saving one's print space clubbing two of the biggest headlines of the day.

Here's what some of the prominent publications across the two countries had to say about the events of yesterday. 'With England teetering, Root and Moeen combined to bat through the afternoon session, manoeuvring the ball in chanceless fashion and rotating the strike with well-judged running between the wickets..and then cashed in,' wrote the BBC in their whole-hearted appreciation of their side's performance yesterday. 'On a tour when some predicted anything other than a 5-0 defeat would be a good result for England, it is they who have made the stronger start,' they went on to add. Not a bad way to put it. The equally vocal Geoff Boycott was even more emphatic with his praise with a nice subtle way of rubbing it into the opposition, an art he has mastered over the years, 'It was a great finish and that's what matters. They can sleep well tonight. Now they see that these India players aren't super men, they'll get lots of confidence from this.' The Guardian on the other hand were a bit guarded in their praise. 'The new old guard showed the way' was their headline splashed across their sports page.

Joe Root did no harm to his legend and Moeen Ali started writing one for himself. With the first visiting century in over three years, the second almost there and a Test century to boast for the number eleven, they've nosed well ahead. India did themselves no favours putting down chances and pushing Shami to the hilt with his prolonged spell late in the day. With a dodgy hammy already causing enough trouble, the last thing the hosts need is their best bowler with the old ball limping out of the series.