India finished day one at 326 for 5 and that was partly down to Joe Root dropping Rohit Sharma when the Indian captain was batting at 27 in Rajkot. Rohit capitalized on the opportunity, scoring a hundred and sharing a 204-run stand alongside Ravindra Jadeja. Despite a nightmarish start at 33 for 3 after winning the toss, India are in a strong position. England assistant coach Paul Collingwood came to the defence of Joe Root over Rohit’s dropped catch on Day 1 of the third Test in Rajkot.

Collingwood acknowledged that while no player ever intends to drop catches, the essence of cricket lies in continuously striving to create more chances. The England assistant coach highlighted the tactical approach led by Ben Stokes, involving strategic field placements and bowler tactics aimed at altering the mindset of the Indian batsmen.

“Nobody ever wants to drop catches and the beauty about the game is you’ve got to try to make more opportunities,” Collingwood said.

Rohit Sharma scored a classic Test match hundred, while debutant Sarfaraz Khan struck a fluent half-century as India reached 326 for five at stumps on the first day of the third Test against England here on Thursday. With India reduced to 33 for three within the first hour of play, Rohit (131 off 196) and Jadeja (110 batting off 212) led the team through choppy waters with a 204-run partnership. After the pair was separated, Sarfaraz (62 off 66) scored the joint-fastest fifty by an Indian on debut, propelling India past 300 runs before being tragically run out due to a mix-up with Jadeja.

“That’s what Stokesy with his field placings and the bowlers did, trying to work out if they could change the mentality of the batters. On wickets that aren’t doing too much, you’ve got to take risks to try create chances,” he added.

ENGLAND UPBEAT ON DAY 1

Despite India’s advantageous position at the close of the first day’s play, Collingwood maintained that the spirit within the English team was undiminished. Collingwood said despite India being in a strong position after the end of the first day, the mood in the English camp remains upbeat.

Collingwood expressed confidence in the team’s batting capabilities, especially when tasked with chasing runs. He pointed out the quick outfield of the pitch, suggesting that England’s proficiency in run chases could be a significant factor moving forward in the match.

“The mood’s very upbeat. It doesn’t generally change no matter what day we have. We all realise that however many runs India get, we’re going to go out there pretty positively with the bat,” he said.

“If we have to chase runs on this pitch, it’s a very fast outfield and we’re good at chasing,” Collingwood added.