Cricket-Root guides England to 138-4 after Shami strikes

After Root won the toss, Jasprit Bumrah gave India a perfect start by dismissing Rory Burns lbw for duck in the first over. Zak Crawley drove and pulled with confidence and was looking good before falling to Mohammed Siraj in an eventful over after making 27.

England captain Joe Root made an unbeaten half-century but India seamer Mohammed Shami's double strike restricted the hosts to 138-4 at tea on the opening day of the first test at Trent Bridge on Wednesday.

Root was batting on 52 at the break after losing Jonny Bairstow, his partner in a 72-run stand, on the stroke of tea. Bairstow made 29 as England endured a second successive session in which they lost a wicket at the start and another towards the end.

The first match of the five-test series also marks the beginning of the new World Test Championship cycle. After Root won the toss, Jasprit Bumrah gave India a perfect start by dismissing Rory Burns lbw for duck in the first over.

Zak Crawley drove and pulled with confidence and was looking good before falling to Mohammed Siraj in an eventful over after making 27. India captain Virat Kohli had burnt a review in that Siraj over and was reluctant to go for a second but wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant was adamant.

Kohli relented and replays confirmed Crawley had nicked Siraj to perish caught behind. Shami bowled without luck in the morning session but struck early after lunch when he lured Dom Sibley, who made 18, into flicking him to short midwicket where KL Rahul had been stationed precisely for that kind of dismissal.

Root hit Siraj for three consecutive boundaries and frustrated the Indians with his composed accumulation of risk-free runs. Bairstow looked well set too until Shami trapped him lbw for his second wicket of the session.

England opted for a seam-only attack, bringing back all-rounder Sam Curran and Bairstow. India dropped off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin with all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja being their lone spin option.

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