Before the start of play in Dharamsala, Ravichandran Ashwin and Jonny Bairstow were handed their respective caps for the 100th Test with their families around. Ashwin became just the 14th player to attain the milestone of 100 Tests for India during the fifth Test against England at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association stadium. There were some moving words from one Yorkshire team-mate to another as Joe Root presented the coveted cap to the Bairstow.
Coming to the action, an unbeaten fifty from Zak Crawley and Kuldeep Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah’s nagging spells were the chief on-field talking points in an eventful first morning.
Kuldeep became only the third left-arm wrist spinner to reach 50 Test wickets en route to his fourth five-wicket haul in the longest format. The 29-year-old spun a web around the visitors in the post-lunch session to put India firmly on top on the opening day of the fifth Test against England in Dharamsala. England imploded in spectacular fashion to go from 175/3 to 183/8 in the space of just 37 deliveries and eventually folded for 218.
Not a dry eye in the huddle 🥲
As emotional and as special as these incredible cap presentations come 🧢 🦁 🏴
💯 @jbairstow21 🤝 @root66 ❤️ pic.twitter.com/8bsG87EH4B
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) March 7, 2024
