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Ben Duckett made 35 in a 55-run opening stand with Zak Crawley
Opener Ben Duckett says England are in a “strong position” in the first Test against India despite the hosts’ powerful finish to the first day.
England recovered from 60-3 and 137-6 to post 246, a total that seemed competitive in Hyderabad, only for India to race to 119-1.
“We are very happy being bowled out for what we got,” Duckett told BBC Sport.
“Hopefully we can take two or three wickets early [on day two] and put them under pressure.”
The left-hander added: “We’re in a strong position, regardless of them only being one down.”
England won a crucial toss, with Duckett and Zak Crawley adding 41 in only eight overs against some wayward India new-ball bowling.
But on a pitch offering plenty of turn – both sides have picked three specialist spinners – the game changed when India introduced their slow bowlers.
With India’s spinners sharing eight wickets, England needed 70 from captain Ben Stokes, who marshalled the tail to ensure the tourists added 109 for their last four partnerships.
After batting watchfully in the early part of his innings, Stokes took 42 runs from the final 29 balls before he was dismissed, including three sixes.
“He’s the best in the world in those situations,” said Duckett, who made 35. “The way he soaked up pressure early on, trusted his defence, then when we were eight or nine down he let loose like he does all the time. That could be a match-winning innings for us.”
When India came to bat, they put England’s total into context, thanks mainly to opener Yahsasvi Jaiswal’s unbeaten 76 from 70 balls.
Jaiswal slog-swept left-arm spinner Tom Hartley’s first delivery in Test cricket for six, with the debutant, who bowled from the second over of the innings, conceding 63 runs from his nine overs.
“We back Tommy,” said Duckett. “Stokesy gave him nine overs to bowl when other captains might take him off after two overs, then he’d be hiding away for the rest of the game.”
India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who took three wickets, praised left-hander Jaiswal.
The 22-year-old made his second half-century to add to a hundred he has made in his first five Tests.
“That is the beauty of someone coming in and playing at this level, he has no baggage,” Ashwin told TNT Sports. “He has had a wonderful start to his first-class career.
“He has taken to Test cricket like a duck to water and he hasn’t put a foot wrong. He has a very carefree approach and I certainly enjoyed watching some of the shots that he has played.”
Like Duckett, Ashwin agreed that England’s total was around par.
“240 was a competitive total, that’s how we felt,” said Ashwin, who moved to 493 Test wickets. “It was probably 20 or 30 more runs than we would have liked to concede.
“The start that our openers gave us was brilliant. If someone can kick on tomorrow and get us a century, we will be in a very good position.”
India have not lost a home Test series since 2012, when Alastair Cook’s England famously won 2-1.
Former pace bowler Steven Finn, part of the England squad on that tour, believes the opening day of this series belonged to India.
“There were glimmers of hope with the bat – the opening partnership between Duckett and Crawley and Ben Stokes’ fifty.
“Stokes looked comfortable and played with ease. He was more assured as the innings went on.
“But the assault from Jaiswal on Hartley has meant India end the day in a very good position on a surface that is only going to get harder to bat on.”
