Rohit, Jadeja tons propel India to 326 for five on opening day

Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja made classical Test match hundreds while debutant Sarfaraz Khan announced his arrival on the big stage with a fluent halfcentury as India reached 326 for five at stumps on day one of the IND vs ENG 3rd Test on ThursdayWith India reduced to 33 for three inside the first hour of play Rohit 131 off 196 and Jadeja 110 batting off 212 steered the ship through choppy waters with a 204run partnershipAfter the pair was separated Sarfaraz 62 off 66 scored the joint fastest fifty by an Indian on debut to push India past the 300run markJadeja was batting with nightwatchman Kuldeep Yadav 1 batting at close of playIn batting friendly conditions the home team will be looking get near the 500run mark on day twoFor England fast bowler Mark Wood 369 vindicated his selection as Englands second pacer with a twowicket burst in the morning accounting for Yashasvi Jaiswal 10 and Shubman Gill 0 while spinner Tom Hartley 181 got the better of Rajat Patidar 5 to leave India totteringJaiswal was caught in the slips by Joe Root while Gill looked susceptible against the moving ball After beating Gill on the inside edge Wood found an outside edge to send back Indias No 3 for a nineball duckAlso ReadFathers tears of joy after Sarfaraz Khans dream Test debut WatchPatidar was outdone by a ball from Hartley that neither spun sharply nor bounced unevenly but seemed to have slowed off the surface Patidar was unable to control his shot as the ball simply ballooned towards short cover for a regulation catchThe pressure on the Indian camp was palpable and the team management opted for a safer route by holding Sarfaraz back and promote Jadeja at No 5 iquest a spot where he has batted at in only five out of his 70 Tests yetWhat transpired after the first hour calmed all the nerves in the dressing room as senior pros Rohit and Jadeja recorded only the third doublecentury partnership for India against England in 135 TestsWith 204 runs for the fourth wicket Rohit and Jadeja joined the esteemed company of Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly 249 vs England at Leeds in August 2002 and Vijay Hazare and Vijay Manjrekar 222 vs England at Leeds in June 1952 for having put on more than 200 against the EnglishmenIt was also the highest partnership between Rohit and Jadeja in an undertransition Indian side as well as their second in triple figures having put on 100 for the sixth wicket against New Zealand at Kanpur in September 2016As if he had saved his best in the series for this day Rohit was unhurried and completely assured in the middle producing a knock that was in complete contrast of his recent approachRohit brought up his 11th Test ton shortly after play resumed in the final session and looked set for a long haulWith Wood returning for another barrage of short balls amid a packed legside field Rohits timing went awry as he looked to work the ballA top edge settled into the hands of England captain Ben Stokes who was ultimately rewarded for his out of the box field settingsNevertheless the Indian captain walked off having done his job of rebuilding the inningsThe timing for his maiden Test outing was perfect for Sarfaraz who unleashed his array of strokes iquest powerful sweep shots and lofted drives over the in field iquest to race to a maiden halfcentury which came off just 48 balls and included seven fours and a sixIn fact Jadeja was 15 runs short of his ton when Sarfaraz walked out to bat and when the senior batter reached his triplefigure mark the youngster was already in his 60sJadeja eventually brought up his fourth Test hundred and a second consecutive at his homeground here but not before Sarfaraz was tragically run out following a mixup with the southpawIND vs ENG 3rd Test Brief ScoresIndia 326 for 5 from 86 overs Rohit Sharma 131 Ravindra Jadeja 110 batting Sarfaraz Khan 62 Mark Wood 369With agency inputs