Former England skipper, Michael Vaughan, labelled Ranchi pitch as a "shocker" with the visitors losing five wickets in the morning session.
Ben Stokes left the pitch shaking his head after the ball stayed low and he was caught LBW by Ravindra Jadeja.
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However, it was India's pace sensation, Akash Deep, who broke England's batting spine in a memorable Test debut. He pulled off a stunning performance that saw him claim three crucial wickets at the JSCA International Stadium.
Handed his Test cap by head coach Rahul Dravid, Akash Deep stepped onto the field with determination, filling the shoes of the rested Jasprit Bumrah. The right-arm pacer from Bengal faced an early setback when his dream debut dismissal of Zak Crawley was denied due to a no-ball infringement in just the fourth over of the match. Despite the disappointment, Akash Deep remained undeterred.
In the 10th over, Akash Deep struck with precision, inducing an edge from opener Ben Duckett, which was safely pouched by wicket-keeper Dhruv Jurel, providing India with the crucial breakthrough.
The 27-year-old continued his onslaught, trapping England's vice-captain Ollie Pope leg-before-wicket (LBW) in the very next ball, tilting the game's momentum firmly in India's favour.
India's captain, Rohit Sharma, extended Akash Deep's opening spell, a decision that paid dividends. In his sixth over, the debutant made amends for his earlier no-ball blunder by dismissing Crawley, this time without any overstepping, to claim his third wicket of the day.
Akash Deep's exceptional bowling performance left the visitors struggling at 57 for 3, firmly placing India in control during the first session in Ranchi.
After that, the Indian spin duo of Jadeja & R Ashwin joined the party and got the wickets of Jonny Bairstow and Stokes.
What did Michael Vaughan say?
Vaughan wrote on X: "The old saying .. Do not judge a pitch till both teams have batted and bowled on it .. but let’s be honest .. this one looks a shocker .. #INDvsENG."
The old saying .. Do not judge a pitch till both teams have batted and bowled on it .. but let’s be honest .. this one looks a shocker .. #INDvsENG
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) February 23, 2024
Graeme Swann echoes Vaughan's thoughts and said: "I've not seen a pitch like this for a long time. It looks like a dried-up riverbed.
"It's very, very dry … you would think if the ball hits that it would explode a bit and turn and there could be turn from very early on."
Whereas, Phil Tufnell, the former England spinner, said on BBC: “That has gone underground to Ben Stokes – there was nothing he could do about that. He’s gone back and it’s hit him on the boot.”
Earlier, Ben Stokes had remarked: "I've never seen something like that before. I have got no idea so I don't know what could happen. "If you looked down one side of opposite ends it just looked different to what I am used to seeing, especially out in India. It looked green and grassy up in the changing rooms, but then you go out there it looked different: very dark and crumbly and quite a few cracks in it."
How has the Ranchi pitch behaved in the past?
The pitch in Ranchi was in the eye of controversy ahead of its first Test in 2017 against Australia.
It was alleged that the local officials didn't allow the Aussies to take photos of the pitch and tried to restrict inspections from Steve Smith and Darren Lehmann. It was a dry, barren surface with a generous covering of black soil. Some of the players even joked that the pitch was “prepared of soil from Mars”.
However, as the Test match progressed it was found that there were no demons in it. It did not crack up from Day 1, had a fair bit of assistance for fast bowlers in the morning session of Day 1 & 2 and the turn was economical.
Australia scored 451 in the first innings and India responded by posting 600, thanks to Pujara's double century! The match ended in a draw.
However, in the 2019 Test against South Africa, the pitch played a role in the match's outcome, witnessing a result within four days.
India posted 497 in the first innings, thanks to Rohit Sharma's 212 and Ajinkya Rahane's 115. However, the visitors could hardly get going. But to be fair, their batting struggles were more attributed to India's pacers, Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav, rather than the pitch itself as they scythed down the Proteas with their impeccable line and lengths to restrict them to 162 & 133 in their two innings. Ravichandran Ashwin picked just one wicket in the entire Test match!
The anticipation surrounding the Ranchi pitch ahead of the India-England Test series has led to meticulous scrutiny from both teams' camps, with even the Indian coach, Rahul Dravid, closely observing its preparation.
He was spotted anxiously pacing around the wicket and would pause to examine specific details that caught his attention. His interactions with the curators were significant, as they would gather around to listen to his instructions attentively. After Dravid's departure, the curators promptly instructed the groundsmen, who were on their lunch break, to cover the pitch.
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