2nd Test, Day 5: Clinical India beat England by 246 runs to take lead in series
[caption id="attachment_28155" align="alignnone" width="580"]
Indian cricketers exults after their win against England in the first test at Vizag on Monday. Image Source: twitter@englandcricket[/caption]
Internet Desk: India spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Jayant Yadav picked up three wickets apiece in the second innings as the hosts beat England by 246 runs on Monday to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
Chasing 405 for a win, England were all out for 158 shortly after lunch on the fifth and final day in the first test match being played in the port city of Visakhapatnam.
Ravinchandran Ashwin returned with a match haul of eight wickets as Indian bowlers snuffed out the English resistance moments after lunch on Day 5. The hosts took 24 balls and 22 minutes passed lunch to cruise victory with more than a session to spare.
Having showed some tenacity yesterday to bat out 59.2 overs with 87/2, England were blown away this morning and lost five wickets in 33.4 overs in the first session before India bowled them out for 158.
Ashwin, who grabbed his 22nd five-wicket haul in the first innings, returned with match figures of 8/119 and in the process the world number one Test bowler became leading wicket-taker of 2016 with 55 wickets, surpassing Sri Lankan Rangana Herath (54).
Debutant offspinner Jayant Yadav, who bagged 1/38, got the final two wickets in successive balls to return with an impressive 3/30 in second innings.
He first trapped Stuart Broad (5) LBW, and then dismissed James Anderson for a golden duck in similar manner as England went for reviews but in vain.
Jayant returned with 3/30 in the second innings, while Mohammad Shami (2/30) and Ravindra Jadeja (2/35) claimed two apiece.
Earlier, it took India 32 balls to get the first breakthrough as England lost two wickets -- Ben Duckett (0) and Moeen Ali (2) -- in first hour of play before debutant Jayant Yadav (1/21) gave the breakthrough with the new ball.
Thereafter Mohammad Shami (2/30) made things difficult and ended the lucky innings of Joe Root (25) and made things difficult for the English lower order as the visitors lost four wickets for 28 en route to hand India the Test at Dr YSR Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium.
This was also a memorable Test debut for a venue where India won a T20I (against Sri Lanka in February), ODI (against New Zealand in October) and Test in the same calendar year.
It was a study contrast as the top three batsmen of Alastair Cook (54), Haseeb Hameed (25) and Joe Root (25) consumed 439 balls -- 73.1 overs -- but the rest have fallen in a heap in a meek surrender.
Earlier Root had some lucky escape with Virat Kohli dropping the English no 3 on nine at leg slip and a decision was also overturned.
Finally the first opening came after 15 minutes into the day with Ravichandran Ashwin removing a tense-looking Duckett who took attack as his defensive ploy only to perished after an ugly-looking sweep shot.
The ball was short and had some extra bounce but Duckett's shot selection got him in as the ball hit his gloves and hit the pad before looping into Saha's gloves.
In a tense and tight situation, Root was adjudged caught behind by Rod Tucker but England successfully used the DRS as the decision was overturned after review. 11
Root, who was floored by Kohli at leg slip on nine, again survived on with an addition of two runs as the snicko registered a faint mark and the third umpire was not convinced to dismiss Tucker's call.
Persisting with a tidy line and aiming the roughs, leftarm spinner Jadeja got his first wicket this morning dismissing Ali as it took an inside edge before being taken by Kohli at short leg.
The ball seemed to have bounced more than normal after hitting the edge of a widening crack.
Maintaining a fine over rate, Indian spinners ran through the opening hour bowling 20.4 overs and were quick to get the second new ball in 80 overs and get their exhausted reviews quota renewed.
Continuing his memorable debut, Jayant struck with the new ball as he tricked Stokes into playing back with a perfect pitch of a length.
And the ball was a beauty. It drifts in, pitches middle, rips before clipping the top of the offstump in an unplayable-like delivery.
With half of them down, the 'London bridge' is a seemingly on the verge of a collapse and Shami fired in some incisive deliveries exploiting the dangerous looking roughs from Dr Vizzy End (pavillion) end.
A rattling inswinger from Shami nailed Root in front of middle. England went for a review and the tracker showed that the ball was having an impact between the middle and legstump.
Root with 4309 runs now is fourth in the list of most runs for England after 50 Tests. With 2285 runs, Root also surpassed Virat Kohli (2277) as the leading run-getter in all International formats in this calendar year.
Rashid succumbed to Shami short pitched stuff, as India close in on the victory. Rashid tried to flap a Shami bouncer over his head but only to be gloved by Saha.
Ashwin cleaned up Zafar Ansari (0) in his third ball after lunch to bring up his eight wicket of the match with a quick ball that stayed low before usettling his stump.
The third Test in Mohali is from November 26-30.
03 Comments
Karla Gleichauf
12 May 2017 at 05:28 pm
On the other hand, we denounce with righteous indignation and dislike men who are so beguiled and demoralized by the charms of pleasure of the moment
M Shyamalan
12 May 2017 at 05:28 pm
On the other hand, we denounce with righteous indignation and dislike men who are so beguiled and demoralized by the charms of pleasure of the moment
Liz Montano
12 May 2017 at 05:28 pm
On the other hand, we denounce with righteous indignation and dislike men who are so beguiled and demoralized by the charms of pleasure of the moment