Published: Dec 08, 2016, 11:36 AM (IST)
Edited: Dec 08, 2016, 12:35 PM (IST)
England debutant Keaton Jennings made a terrific start to his Test career, as he completed his half-century against India on the first day of their fourth Test at Mumbai. The left-handed Jennings faced 89 balls and struck 6 boundaries to reach 51 not out, as England finally made a strong start after electing to bat first. England won the toss and with an unbeaten 92–run stand for the first wicket, they have set up a good platform for a strong total in the first innings on what looks like a batting-friendly wicket at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. He shared 99-run opening stand with skipper Alastair Cook before the latter departed for 46.
Both Cook and Jennings began nervously but they grew in confidence as the game progressed. The England openers got a lifeline each, with Karun Nair being involved in both the instances. While Cook got a leading edge off Bhuvneshwar Kumar and the ball flew right past Nair at gully, the Indian fielder was tad late to get close to the ball when Jennings failed to keep a bouncer from Umesh Yadav down. The one-handed effort from Nair was not enough as Jennings got a lifeline as well. Otherwise, the Indian bowlers could not do much on a wicket that looked assistive for batting. India also lost one of their reviews as they went for DRS intervention against Jennings off Bhuvneshwar, but had no success.
Full Cricket Scorecard: India vs England 4th Test at Mumbai
Earlier in the day, England announced that they will be batting first after winning the toss. England brought in Jennings for the injured Haseeb Hameed, who is in the Wankhede Stadium with his family watching the game from the stands. Jake Ball replaced Gareth Batty, but Stuart Broad continued to remain away from action. India brought in Bhuvneshwar for Mohammed Shami, while Nair retained his place with KL Rahul coming in for Ajinkya Rahane.
