IND vs ENG 2024: Rohit Sharma left fuming after Sarfaraz-Jadeja misunderstanding gives England bonus wicket

Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bat first on Day 1 of the third Test between India and England in Rajkot. The visitors came out all guns blazing as they picked up three wickets inside the first hour of play but the trio of Rohit, Ravindra Jadeja, and Sarfaraz Khan bailed them out of the precarious situation.

From 33/3, Rohit and Jadeja stitched a marvellous 204-run partnership to put India in a position of strength. The Indian captain was dismissed after playing a brilliant knock of 131 runs off 196 balls. Debutant Sarfaraz Khan joined Jadeja in the middle and the two players played contrastingly to take India forward.

However, their 77-run stand ended on an unfortunate note as a miscommunication between them resulted in the youngster being run out for 62 off 66 balls. The incident happened in the 82nd over of the innings, when Jadeja was batting on 99 against James Anderson. The southpaw punched a fullish delivery to mid-on, who was standing close to the non-striker's end. Jadeja initially called for the single but as Sarfaraz took a few steps forward, the veteran sent him back. Wood's direct hit from mid-on gave the Mumbai batter no chance to make it back to his crease.

The cameras caught Rohit throwing away his cap in frustration inside the dressing room. Sarfaraz was playing with consummate ease and had also hit nine fours and one six during his stay at the crease. He was looking good for a three-figure score but destiny had other ideas.

Ravindra Jadeja scores his fourth Test ton for India in Rajkot 

After Sarfaraz made the long walk back to the hut, Jadeja needed just one ball to bring up his fourth Test century. He did bring out the customary sword celebration but apart from that, it was quite a subdued reaction. Evidently, the runout was still playing on the mind of the experienced all-rounder.

India finished the day at 326/5 in 86 overs. Jadeja remained unbeaten on 110 off 212 deliveries, hitting nine fours and two sixes. Kuldeep Yadav was sent in as the nightwatchman ahead of Dhruv Jurel and Ravichandran Ashwin and he managed to perform his role nicely. The left-arm wrist spinner faced 10 balls and scored a solitary run but most importantly remained unbeaten.

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The first session will be very crucial on Day 2. Indian fans will hope for Jadeja and Co. to combine and take the team to a huge first-innings total. The second new ball is just three overs old and England will want to make early inroads to get themselves ahead of the game.