England’s Test team are back in action for the first time in almost six months, and won the toss and chose to bat on the morning of the first Test against India in Hyderabad.
Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley got the tourists off to a good start against the seamers and they reached 55 without loss before the spinners fought back.
Three quick wickets fell in the morning session, before a brief resistance from Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow briefly threatened to change the course of the innings.
But after lunch, the wickets tumbled around Stokes, as he offered England’s main resistance with the bat, hitting 70 runs and batting with the lower order as the visitors scored 246 from their first innings.
In reply, England’s spinners struggled while Yashasvi Jaiswal dominated, hitting 76 from just 70 deliveries as India hit 119-1 in reply, in just 23 overs.
England were dealt a blow shortly before the first Test when Harry Brook returned home for personal reasons, although they will be buoyed with the news that Virat Kohli was also ruled out of the first two Tests for personal reasons.
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