Following India’s 28-run loss against England in the first Test match of the five-game series on Sunday, Rohit Sharma’s side slipped to fifth place in the World Test Championship (WTC) points table.
India’s point percentage dropped from 54.16 to 43.33 and stands in fifth place after Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Bangladesh.
India was having a good run in the ongoing WTC 2023-2025 as they drew the two-match Test series against South Africa by 1-1. However, their loss against England in Hyderabad saw them dropping three spots.
In the WTC 2023-2025, India won two, drew one and lost two against South Africa and England in their previous five Tests.
Recapping the first Test match in Hyderabad, Ollie Pope’s blitzkrieg, and debutant Tom Hartley’s spin inspired England to a 28-run victory in the first Test against India at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
After Pope’s 196 inspired England’s hopes of an unprecedented comeback, debutant Tom Hartley’s magic with the ball on Day 4 did the trick for the visitors.
The slow left-arm orthodox spinner made most of the surface that kept low. He tried to use the rough to produce uneven bounce and sharp spin to cause all sorts of trouble to India batters. After making early inroads, Hartley continued to ride high on confidence and made an immediate impact after the beginning of the third session.
India’s gamble of sending Axar Patel to fifth spot didn’t yield the expected results. A momentary lapse in Axar’s concentration saw him send the ball straight to Hartley’s hands, forcing him to depart for 17.
Root came in, spun the ball sharply into KL Rahul and trapped him right in front of the stumps. The 31-year-old decided to challenge the on-field decision, but with three reds popping up on the screen, Rahul’s time on the field ended with a score of 22.
