The India vs England rescheduled fifth Test kicked off on Friday at Edgbaston in Birmingham. India were 53/2 when rain forced early lunch and later delayed the start of the second session on the first day of the match. While the temporary interruption in the game forced the players to stay in the dressing a little longer than scheduled, it could not stop the spectators from enjoying their time as some of the fans started playing cricket outside the stadium.
In a video shared by the official broadcasters online, a man could be seen bowling to a child, who is batting with an umbrella in hand. Meanwhile, some of the fans could be seen taking their fielding positions, while the others cheer from outside the playing area.
Watch the video here:
Talking about the game, England skipper Ben Stokes won the toss and opted to bowl first against India. The guests opened the batting with Shubman Gill and Cheteshwar Pujara as they missed skipper Rohit Sharma due to COVID-19. The idea to open with Pujara didn't work for India as they lost him for just 13 runs.
On the other hand, Pujara's partner Shubman Gill also failed to live up to the expectations as he departed on a score of 17. James Anderson picked both the wickets.
India soon lost Virat Kohli, Hanuma Vihari and Shreyas Iyer to go down to 98/5, but a 222-run stand between Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja rescued the visitors.
Pant hit a 146 off 111 deliveries, with Joe Root finally dismissing him.
Jadeja remained unbeaten on 83 at Stumps on Day 1, with India finishing on 338/7.
India led the five-match series 2-1 last year when the final Test match was postponed after a COVID-19 outbreak in their camp. Given Rohit misses the last match of the series, Jasprit Bumrah has been named the skipper for the game.