England toiled admirably on the first day at Rajkot, as they have often done under Ben Stokes, but they will rue several missed opportunities, writes Yas Rana.

Much of the fanfare around Ben Stokes’ 100th Test appearance focussed on his convention-shattering spell as England captain, one that has re-energised several careers and injected some overdue joy back into English Test cricket.

His harshest critics, though, may point out that his excellent record as captain (14 wins in 21) is in part due to a favourable run of fixtures. Prior to this series, Stokes’ England had yet to face either India or Australia away from home and most of their wins weren’t exactly against recent historical trends. In 2022, England won five out of their six home Tests against New Zealand and South Africa, two sides in transition, and another against an India side shorn of their best player. Impressive sure, but not necessarily a change in fortune. After all, England had won five or more Tests six times in their last 13 home summers.

Equally, drawn series against New Zealand away – a side no longer serious World Test Championship contenders – and Australia at home – a team that haven’t won in England for nearly a quarter of a century – were solid but unremarkable results, even if the cricket itself was eminently watchable.

The most impressive result, by some distance, was their 3-0 victory in Pakistan last winter. Not because of the quality of opposition, but the conditions they faced. On a series of flat pitches, none more so than Rawalpindi, England batted with enough energy to put time back into the match and prise out 20 wickets everywhere they went. In recent times, England’s record on particularly flat, overseas pitches is poor. Chennai 2021 aside, England’s away successes have generally coincided with pitches that offered the bowlers something to work with from day one; their five wins in Sri Lanka under Joe Root’s captaincy, St. Lucia in 2019, their wins in South Africa in 2020. From May 2015 to October 2022, England didn’t win a single Test in New Zealand, Australia or the UAE.

A decent day in the dirt in flatter conditions looks different. Tests generally move slower than they do in England where the Dukes ball keeps bowling sides interested across the day. Rajkot’s only two previous games as a Test venue have seen first innings totals of 537 and 649-9. India’s second innings total of 488 in 2016 could easily have been in a losing cause had it been for a more daring declaration from England. Restricting India to something under 450 would potentially represent a good effort from here. And having had India 33-3 and so nearly 47-4, it could have been so much better than that.

England’s first day in Rajkot was a weird one. Firstly, there was a huge missed opportunity. How different does today look if Joe Root holds onto a good chance to dismiss Rohit with the score on 47? The ball was still only 13 overs old and it would have brought the first of two debutants to the crease, and with Kuldeep at nine this is an India line-up with a much longer tail than they had in Hyderabad. Matches and series can be decided by such moments; Brad Haddin’s first morning drop of Joe Root in Cardiff in 2015, for instance, may well have gone some way to deciding that particular Ashes series.

Twice England barely considered reviewing lbw decisions that would have been overturned; in both cases, a centurion would have been dismissed before reaching their landmark. In favourable batting conditions, England created chances. Figures of 1-81 don’t convey it, but Tom Hartley put in his best first innings performance of the series, while all of Mark Wood, James Anderson and Rehan Ahmed bowled with an encouraging combination of control and threat.

Ben Stokes’ 100th Test: Full list of players to feature in 100 or more Test matches (via @WisdenCricket)https://t.co/4F3ioLrrVH

— The Nightwatchman (@NightwatchmanXI) February 14, 2024

Stokes mixed up his fields, occasionally packing the in-field to lure Rohit and Ravindra Jadeja into a false shot. But here India’s senior pairing batted with a sense of calm that felt missing for India in the first two Tests. Despite making scores either side of 400 at Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam, Rohit and Jadeja’s was India’s first century stand of the series.

Even when Wood eventually bounced Rohit out towards the end of an epic spell in the third session, it felt like England were in a decent position – India 237-4 with two debutants and the longer tail to come.

But then, they had a taste of their own medicine in the form of the belligerent debutant, Sarfaraz Khan. Even by Indian standards, Sarfaraz’s debut has been the subject of considerable interest. There’s been an almost mythic aura around his best-since-Bradman first-class record. Column inches have long been devoted to his curious yet in part understandable absence from the Test scene. With his awkward gait and pronounced crouched stance he was instantly an absorbing figure, reluctantly ducking his first balls as a Test cricketer and then finding himself on his backside before scoring his first run after a botched slog sweep off Rehan.

Once he settled, and he settled quickly, you could see what all the fuss was about. He was ruthless against England’s spinners, essentially handing them a taste of their own medicine. In little more than an hour, the score raced to 314-4 and England for once looked short of ideas and positivity. He contributed 62 of the 77 runs scored in partnership with Jadeja before India’s veteran all-rounder sold his partner down the river to run him out and hand England an opening that didn’t look like coming.

How does the day stand? Well, England will take solace from their previous overseas wins under Stokes. In Rawalpindi, Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq put on 225 for the first wicket in defeat. In Multan, Pakistan were 290-5 chasing 355 and still lost by 26 runs. In Hyderabad, India walked off the field on day two 421-7 and still lost. Even in Vizag, India finished the first day in similar conditions on 321-6 and, were it not for Jasprit Bumrah’s brilliance, that game would have felt far less secure. Part of England’s success in similar conditions recently is that they’ve kept their heads up after days like this, in the knowledge that they still remain in the contest. That will no doubt be the same again today, but the nagging sense of ‘what if?’ after letting those chances pass by will surely linger.