Debutant Tom Hartley took 7/62 as England completed an extraordinary turnaround to beat India by 28 runs in the first Test in Hyderabad on Sunday.
Hartley returned the fourth-best figures for a debutant visiting bowler in India as the hosts collapsed from 42/0 to all out for 202 runs in 69.2 overs.
The inexplicable collapse was all the more unlikely after the hosts took a 190-run lead in the first innings, scoring 436 in reply to England's 246.
Ollie Pope's 196 runs helped England score 420 runs in their second innings, as the visitors overcame a record deficit to register a stunning win on Indian soil.
Hartley's seven-wicket haul was the second-best return for an English spinner on debut after John Langridge's 7/56 against the West Indies in 1933.
Here's a look at the factors where India lost the first Test against England:
SET BATTERS THROWING AWAY WICKETS- In the first innings, India had the chance to get an even bigger lead than the eventual 190 runs they got. Most of the wickets in India's first essay were thrown away, especially by set batsmen.
- Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer - all fell to innocuous deliveries. None of the English bowlers - barring Joe Root towards the end - looked threatening in the first innings.
NO CENTURY FROM THE INDIAN SIDE- Ollie Pope's 196 showed the importance of a big three-figure mark. On the other hand, India had three batters - Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja - getting out in their 80s.
- Had even one of them constructed a big hundred, the result of the match could've been different.
ASHWIN-JADEJA FAILING ON A SLOW TURNER- The Ashwin-Jadeja combine has won India countless Test matches on home soil over the last 8-9 years, but questions will be asked whether the duo need "dust bowls" or "rank turners" to weave their magic.
- The Hyderabad wicket turned, but slowly, and as the ball got old it wasn't exactly zipping and spitting off the surface. This kind of wicket was a norm during the Kumble-Harbhajan era.
NO ANSWER TO THE SWEEPS- Just before coming to India, the English batters spent 15 days in Abu Dhabi practising the various versions of sweeps. During the Hyderabad Test, Pope and Co. unfurled the full array of the different types of the stroke.
- The conventional sweep, an assortment of reverse sweeps, scoops, reverse scoops -the barrage of such shots rattled all three Indian spinners.
NOT PLAYING KULDEEP AS A WRIST-SPINNING OPTION- The Indian XI was on obvious lines, and the English batters had come prepared. Playing Kuldeep Yadav, in place of Siraj possibly, could've added a different dimension to the bowling.
- Kuldeep's variations and the ability to turn the ball big could've come in handy especially against England's lower-order and tailenders.
Ollie Pope, Tom Hartley star as England stun India in opening Test
Hindol Basu is a Principal Correspondent with the The Times of In...
Read MoreHindol Basu is a Principal Correspondent with the The Times of India. Over the years, as a sports journalist, Hindol has covered important events like the 2012 London Olympics, 2008 Beijing Olympics, 2010 Commonwealth Games and the 2011 Cricket World Cup. Hindol has had a diverse profile having worked in all forms of media - TV, Radio, New Media and Print. Besides, being an avid blogger, Hindol plays the guitar, writes poetry and is interested in photography.
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