A WHOLE lot of “hoo-ha about a pigeon.”

England opener Keaton Jennings has laughed off suggestions an unsuspecting bird cost him his wicket on day one of the first Test against India at Edgbaston.

Jennings was well set on 42 when he fell to Mohammed Shami, inside edging a short of a length delivery onto his stumps via his pads.

It was a peculiar dismissal and it came immediately after a delay in play caused by a pigeon that refused to move from short mid-wicket despite the best efforts of both Jennings and captain Joe Root.

Asked post play if the pigeon had played a role in his dismissal, Jennings chuckled before replying.

“No, not at all,” he said. “Thirty overs before people were standing up behind the bowler’s arm, you could say that distracted me as well. You refocus, you go through your own method, your own sort of process between each ball. I wouldn’t say it distracted me at all.

“It just happens to be the ball before I got out and suddenly there’s a huge sort of hoo-ha about a pigeon.”

Jennings’ dismissal left England at 2-98 — a foundation the hosts seemed set to make the most of, cruising to 3-216.

However, the innings fell apart after Root (80) was run-out by a direct hit from Virat Kohli, who sent the England captain on his way with an elaborate celebration that featured blown kisses, a shush possibly for the crowd and an imitation of Root’s own mic-drop celebration from the ODI series.

It was an opening the Indians made the most of, with England reaching stumps at 9-285.