Ahmedabad: Tempers flared on the first day of the ongoing fourth Test between India and England as Virat Kohli and Ben Stokes clashed in the middle with umpire Nitin Menon having to intervene. The chat between Kohli and Stokes heated up at the end of the 13th over. The Indian skipper was visibly unhappy with something Stokes said to pacer Mohammed Siraj and as a result, he decided to have a lengthy chat with the swashbuckling English all-rounder.
After the final ball of the 12th over, Stokes came down the wicket and he had a word with Siraj. Kohli was not happy with the turn of events and decided to take it up with Stokes. In the end, on-field official Menon had to intervene to separate Kohli and Stokes. In the very next over, Siraj was also seen in an aggressive mood and he had a go at Stokes.
Left-arm spinner Axar Patel’s twin strike and Mohammed Siraj’s prized scalp of English skipper Joe Root on Thursday morning helped India gain an upper hand against England going into the lunch break at the Narendra Modi Stadium. At the break, England’s score read 74/3 in 25 overs with Jonny Bairstow (28) and Stokes (24) at the crease. The duo has added 44 for the fourth wicket and is looking to bring the visitors back into the game after early inroads from the Indian bowlers.
England have made two changes to their playing XI which last featured in the third Test. They have brought in Dominic Bess and Dan Lawrence in place of Stuart Broad and Jofra Archer.
