Xtra Time Web Desk: A devastating spell of fast bowling from Jasprit Bumrah, supported by Umesh Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja and Shardul Thakur helped India to decimate England by 157 runs at the Oval on Monday. The win say Virat Kohli and his team taking an all important lead in the five match series with just one more test to go at Manchester.
The fast bowlers showed tremendous character despite the absence of two senior pros Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami as they bowled England for 210 runs in 92.1 overs, chasing a tough target of 368.
Bumrah (22-9-27-2), Jadeja (30-11-50-2) , Shardul (8-1-22-2) and Umesh (18.2-2-60-3) kept relentless pressure on the England batsmen right from the start on Day 5. The result, India winning two Test matches in a single series in England after a gap of 35 years.
Virat Kohli had said after the third Test that a win at Lord”s didn”t guarantee a win at Leeds and a humbling defeat at Leeds didn”t mean that tables could not be turned at the Oval. The skipper”s thoughts were vindicated by his team with an all-round performance — Rohit Sharma showing steely temperament, Shardul Thakur giving it his all knowing that chances may be far and few. Umesh showing that he is no less effective than team management”s first choice quartet of pacers.
It was Jadeja who started the slide after lunch getting the stubborn Haseeb Hameed (63 off 193 balls). Using the rough outside the leg-stump of the right hander, Jadeja landed one on the spot as the opener prodded forward for a defensive stroke but the ball turned enough to evade the bat and hit the top of the off-stump.
Then it was Bumrah”s turn as he bowled a sharp in swinging ball that beat Ollie Pope’s defence to crash into the stumps. But the ball with which he got Jonny Bairstow out has to be the ball of the series. It was a perfect in swinging yorker that reversed swing to crash into the stumps.
Moeen Ali did not last long as he managed to edge a Jadeja delivery to substitute Suryakumar Yadav at short leg. From 141 for two, it was 147 for six in a space of six overs. England in that hour after lunch lost four wickets for 19 runs in 14 overs.
Earlier in the day Thakur produced an eddge from Rory Burns who got out immediately after reaching fifty. Dawid Malan (5) was looking solid in defence till Hameed misjudged a single, tapping a Jadeja delivery to short cover where substitute fielder Mayank Agarwal picked and threw in one action that found Malan short of his ground much to the joy of visitors.