Keaton climbs on board with debut century
IN TERMS of opening statements the one made by Keaton Jennings on the first day of this fourth Test against India was emphatic.
The 24-year-old became the first England player since Jonathan Trott in the final Ashes Test at the Oval in 2009 to score a century on debut.
Openers who have achieved the feat in their first Test innings include Andrew Strauss and WG Grace. That is some company to keep.
England had started this winter still struggling to find a credible foil at the top of the order for captain Alastair Cook since the retirement of Strauss four years ago.
Now Jennings, Cook’s 11th opening partner since Strauss departed in 2012, has followed Haseeb Hameed in making a stunning early impression as an international batsman.
Hameed looked the natural fit to become Cook’s long-term partner during three impressive Tests at the start of this series. But a broken finger sustained in the previous match at Mohali cut short the teenager’s tour and Jennings, who only flew in on Monday as an injury replacement from the England Lions tour of the UAE, has filled that void seamlessly.
His runs in the County Championship for Durham last summer – 1,548 at an average of 64.50 – suggested he was a player with a bright future. Yet nobody can gauge whether such form can be translated to the Test arena. Credit to Jennings that he has done just that.
England, though, hardly took advantage of the start given to them and by the close, following three wickets in the evening session for spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, they had been pegged back to 288-5 after reaching tea on 196-2.
Jennings, on 112, was among those that fell to Ashwin in the final session but not before he had reached his maiden hundred with a cheeky reverse sweep off Jayant Yadav shortly before tea.
His father, Ray, the former South Africa coach, missed the moment because of a power cut as he watched TV
DAY ONE SCOREBOARD
on holiday in Mauritius when his son was on 96. For the newcomer, though, it was a special moment, especially after he had experienced a nervy morning when he convinced himself he had missed the team bus.
“I woke up at 5am thinking I’d missed the bus, so jumped out of bed, panicked where everything was, then settled myself down when I saw the time,” he said.
“It has been a dream come true, and it’s just surreal that it has come on debut. It has been an incredible day.”
Jennings was dropped on nought off the bowling of Mohammed Shami and also escaped a tight lbw review on 10. “When the ball looped up to gully my heart was in my mouth and I just kind of thought ‘Oh no, you’ve got nought in your first innings’,” he said.
“Thankfully, it hit his hand and went out. So I had a little bit of luck, but I suppose that’s the way the game goes.”
Born in Johannesburg, Jennings is a product of the South African system but it is England, 2-0 down in this series heading into this penultimate Test, who were thankful for his contribution here at the Wankhede Stadium.
Jennings paid tribute to Cook’s calming influence after his nervy morning. “The biggest adjustment was to the crowd and the noise. Cooky was brilliant with me – he really calmed me down.”
Cook departed before lunch to leave England 99-1. Joe Root, who might move back down to No 4 so England can accommodate Jennings and Hameed in their top three next summer, edged Ashwin to skipper Virat Kohli at slip. Moeen Ali then shared a 94-run stand with Jennings before he top-edged a sweep two balls after reaching his ninth Test fifty. Jennings fell in the same Ashwin over to leave England 230-4. Bairstow then went, sweeping Ashwin to deep square leg but Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler steadied the ship.
Umpire Paul Reiffel, who was struck on the head by a throw from Bhuvneshwar Kumar, has been given the all-clear after a scan. selected for India. But he broke his hand in the third Test and had to return home. Jennings meanwhile, having only qualified in April to play for England through residence, was on tour in the UAE with the England Lions. He was called up and flew to Mumbai less than 48 hours before the start of the Test. With an average of more than 30 in T20 cricket and 40 in one-day, Jennings is a true three-format player.
He scored more domestic first-class runs then anyone else last season with 1,548 at 64.50, including seven hundreds, for a county battling relegation from Division One.
As an opener he is still and composed but uncoils like a spring to hit a very hard ball when the bowler pitches it short or wide.
He is also an excellent player of spin with a range of sweep shots, include the reverse which went for four to bring up his maiden Test ton.