IND vs ENG - Ravindra Jadeja gets 50 on home turf, fans enjoy his sword-swirl celebration

After England's strong start saw three wickets tumble with the scoreboard reading 33/3, and with debutants Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel in the wings, the Indian management made a strategic move, sending in all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja — a decision that paid off handsomely.

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The all-rounder made sure to steady the innings with the captain forged a strong front and even reached the half-century mark at the now-renamed Niranjan Shah Cricket Stadium in Rajkot.

With Indian captain Rohit Sharma carrying the weight of disappointment from the top-order's performance, Jadeja's arrival at the crease got new life into the innings. Together, the duo forged a formidable partnership, amassing 137 runs in 236 balls.

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While Rohit Sharma had already reached his half-century, it was now Jadeja's turn to reach the milestone. In the 43.2nd over, he took a single off Mark Wood's delivery to notch up his fifty, celebrating with his signature sword-swirl gesture. This marked his 21st Test half-century, a feat achieved on his home turf.

Fans took to social media, particularly X (formerly known as Twitter) to speak about the wee-deserved 50.

At the time of writing this article, India in 48 overs, amassed a total of 170 runs, albeit at the cost of three wickets — Yashasvi Jaiswal (10), Shubman Gill (0), and Rajat Patidar (5).

Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja formed a pivotal partnership for the Indian team, adding 60 runs in 98 balls before the lunch break. By the time of the interval, Rohit had notched up 52 runs, while Jadeja had contributed 24 runs to the scoreboard.

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Meanwhile, the English side, having lost the toss, seized the opportunity with Mark Wood dismissing both Jaiswal and Gill in his two overs. Later, Tom Hartley joined the action, claiming the wicket of Patidar.

IND vs ENG teams:

India (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel(w), Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj

England (Playing XI): Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes(c), Ben Foakes(w), Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley, Mark Wood, James Anderson