He misjudged a defensive prod, the inside-edge lobbed off his pads and his boot, and somehow trickled onto the stumps, with just enough force to dislodge a solitary bail.

Jennings looked disconsolate. He had done well till that point, patiently building runs in a 98-ball 42, and seemed well on course to make the most of a lifeline early in the day, when Ajinkya Rahane dropped him on 10.

That was massive a slice of fortune, it being a regulation catch, but his manner of dismissal was striking in contrast. Lady luck, it seemed, was being mischievous.

“He’s a very good bowler. He lands the ball in the right place and varies his pace. He bowled nicely today,” said Jennings of Ashwin. “At the end of the day, we come up with a game plan in order to play off-spinners as a left-hander. Bowled a good ball to Cooky this morning, maybe that came down to a bit of tackiness in the surface.

“I’ve played him a couple of times, played against him at Worcester last year, so it’s not the first time I’ve played against him and hopefully I get many more opportunities to.”

As for Shami, it was a good comeback following a spell on the sidelines with fitness issues. “It’s just that I have not been playing matches,” said Shami. “But when we get injured, we work very hard, we go through training and rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy, (and) we are in the nets constantly. So, when we get back to play, we make our plans and return to action.”