Recent Match Report – India vs England, England tour of India, 2nd Test

India 396 (Jaiswal 209, Anderson 3-47, Ahmed 3-65) and 225 (Gill 104, Hartley 4-77) batted England 253 (Crawley 76, Bumrah 6-45, Kuldeep 3-71) and 292 (Crawley 73, Bumrah 3-46, Ashwin 3-72) by 106 runs

Jasprit Bumrah, the fast bowler of our era, finished the job he started in England's first innings as India overcame a fierce and predictable fourth innings challenge from a team that never knows when defeated, to close out a 106-point victory. in Visakhapatnam and complete a thrilling series at 1-1 with three Tests to come.

Bumrah's figures of 3 for 46 in 17.2 overs were less spectacular than his first-innings six, but the timing of his breakthroughs was crucial on a busy fourth day – in particular, his priceless extraction of Jonny Bairstow on the lunchtime knock, a dismissal that ended a five-wicket session for India and left England's chase too far to go, having burst out of the blocks with now-typical enthusiasm.

This defeat was only England's third in 11 fourth-innings chases since the start of the Bazball era, and if a target of 399 had always seemed far-fetched, their total tally of 292 was still higher than the previous successful chase by a visiting team. in India – West Indies: 276 for 5 in Delhi in 1987-88.

Despite their best efforts, England will regret a handful of key moments that derailed their hopes – most notably a lightweight verdict against their calmest pursuer, Zak Crawley, moments before Bairstow's extraction, and an escape atypically lax from the captain, Ben Stokes, who cut off his sinisterly balanced innings before he could run wild. Joe Root, nursing a damaged finger, played a wild knock of 16 from 10 balls which also raised several questions, particularly given England's tail line-up in adversity, notably Tom Hartley, who was the last man out for 36 off 47 balls.

The tone of the English pursuit was set from the first moments of the day. At one end there was Crawley, all composure and calculation as he fielded the dangerous Indian man Bumrah and only committed to the balls his 6'5″ frame could drive with impunity. On the other, there was Rehan Ahmed, a blur of ambitious Strokeplay as he decided to live dangerously and rob his runs before India could settle in, as he did with a pair of boundaries in Axar Patel's second over.

Rehan was there for a good while, not long, and Axar duly had the last laugh with a heavyweight around the wicket, but not before Rehan's 23 off 31 balls helped add 45 runs in 11 overs for second ticket office. . Ollie Pope, the hero of Hyderabad's second innings, was out, and as he too went on the offensive with a laser shot for four first balls, it was clear that England were not about to to go back into his shell.

Crawley again stepped on the front foot to drop Axar at long-on to reach a supremely measured half-century from 83 balls, but as he sought to provide a very Bazball definition of an anchor, Pope was business personified during a light-footed cameo. His confidence in the sweep was a clear indication that the bounce had left the box, at least while Axar was in his sights, from whom he took all five boundaries in a 21-ball stay.

The wily Ashwin, however, was a different proposition. After missing a reverse sweep that sent his arm towards the keeper, Pope swung back to clip another Ashwin delivery that flew out of the box on his arcs, and Rohit seized a reflex chance with a flick of his his left hand.

It was wicket number 498 for Ashwin, and 499 wouldn't be far behind. Whether Root's damaged finger was a factor or not, England's main man played a curiously frantic knock, even by the standards drawn from the occasion. His first two scoring shots were reverse sweeps for four – the latter escaping the glove by sliding – before launching into Axar with a reverse drill for six at long range, a shot which allowed him to go past the 1000 tests in India. .

But Axar hit back with a close appeal for lbw that would have stood had the umpire's finger been raised, and two balls later Ashwin brought his man via a skied slice to point, as he conjured up his long -on and its long-off. defensive players, and drew the big hit to the ground with one of those signature hang-time attacks that never quite landed in Root's arc as intended.

At 154 for 4 after 31 overs, the die was categorically cast. As James Anderson had said on the third evening, England's aim was to win the match in “60 or 70 overs”, even if that meant a straight run between the required runs and the remaining wickets. And as lunch approached, it was neck and neck in that regard, as Crawley and Bairstow battled their way into a 40-run stand for the fifth wicket, taking on Axar and Ashwin, whose attack line across the right-handers was once again challenging both edges of the bat in that familiarly subtle style.

But it was a double change from Rohit that blew away England's prospects. First it was Kuldeep, who slipped a top-spinner into the pads of Crawley from the wicket and took three reds on DRS as India gambled on the review. Even with all three stumps visible, Rohit rightly judged that the ball had pitched over the leg stump line, and India's ecstasy at the end of Crawley's diligent 73 from 132 balls confirmed just how point he had carried England's fight.

And then, just before lunch, the inevitable Bumrah drove England below the waterline. Bairstow had fielded it with enough confidence to clear a pair of boundaries through the offside on his return, but Bumrah came back with the nipbacker on a longer length, and referee Gaffaney's finger went lifted while the ball was hitting. the top of the leg stump. Bairstow left the crease with a volley of invectives as Ashwin celebrated loudly in his presence, but at 194 for 6 the tone of the session had been changed in the space of five balls.

Where there is Ben Stokes, of course, no cause can ever be considered lost, and as he and Ben Foakes rebuilt the innings with a rare display of caution after the break, England passed 200, the half of their race. But for once, Stokes' reluctance would prove his team's undoing, as he was slow to spot danger when Ben Foakes called him for a quick single to short midwicket, and Shreyas Iyer's direct hit l 'caught within three inches.

That was it, as hindsight would forcefully prove, but England's unwavering belief would not allow India to celebrate until the final scalp had been claimed. Hartley's balance with the bat was matched by his impact with the ball in this series, and as he joined Foakes in a block-and-strike stand of 55 for the eighth wicket, the demand continued to decrease at the rate.

Each man notched a six apiece as Ashwin and Kuldeep strayed into their arc, and although Hartley's flirtation with the reverse sweep nearly cost him dearly, Ashwin's 500th wicket being denied to him during the review, it took the return of India's deadliest weapon to break it. demonstration of resistance. Bumrah needed six balls from his return to induce a controlled drive into his own midriff as Foakes departed for 36, before Mukesh Kumar – a distant second best in India's seaming stakes – finished a tough Test on a high staff, snatching Shoaib. Bashir for his first wicket of the match.

It was quite normal, however, that the real difference between the teams lay in the man who applied the coup de grace, as Hartley's stump took a walk like so many others before him. The series is alive and well, after a fight to savor.