Team India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja passed the magical three-figure mark on day 1 of the 3rd Test against England at the Niranjan Shah Stadium off James Anderson's bowling in 198 deliveries. It is also his comeback game as the spin-bowling all-rounder missed the 2nd Test in Vishakhapatnam due to a hamstring injury and helped put India in control.
In the process, Jadeja also crossed 3000 Test runs on the final over of the day.
Jadeja came in at 33-3, with India lost Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, and Rajat Patidar cheaply after Rohit to bat first on winning the toss. The left-hander played positively from the outset and took India to 93-3 at lunch with his captain Rohit Sharma. The veteran added 204 with Rohit Sharma before the latter perished for a well-made 131.
England get a late wicket as Sarfaraz Khan after a promising knock on debut:
England, led by Ben Stokes, got a wicket in the ball previous to Jadeja getting to his hundred as Mark Wood affected a brilliant direct hit. With Jadeja working a full delivery to mid-on off Anderson and Sarfaraz taking off despite the threat, Wood stormed from mid-on and hit the stumps. The Mumbai-batter's wicket put an end to a 77-run stand with Jadeja, but played a blistering knock of 62.
Meanwhile, Jadeja will hope that his brilliant batting also translates to bowling when India come on to bowl. England took a 1-0 lead in the series after a come-from-behind 28-run victory in Hyderabad, but the hosts hit back to beat England by 106 runs in the 2nd, thereby levelling the series.
