India win second Test to level series
JASPRIT BUMRAH and Ravichandran Ashwin shared six wickets as India won the second cricket Test against England by 106 runs to level the fivematch series 1-1 yesterday.
Bumrah picked up 3-46 in 17.2 overs, while Ashwin finished with 3-72 in 18 overs, as England were bowled out for 292 runs in an improbable pursuit of 399 runs.
Zak Crawley top-scored with 73 runs, but no other English batter crossed the 40-run mark, as India wrapped up the win at the stroke of teatime on the fourth day.
Bumrah finished with a match total of nine wickets for 91 runs, while Ashwin finished one short of a landmark 500th Test wicket.
“I try to bowl by looking at the situation and judging the wicket,” Bumrah said. “I look to solve the problem – every wicket is different and I try to use what I have in my armoury.”
England won the first Test in Hyderabad by 28 runs. The third Test will be played in Rajkot from February 15.
The visitors were down to 194-6 at lunch, needing another 205 runs for a win. Ben Stokes and Ben Foakes added 26 runs for the seventh wicket, and tried to resurrect the innings.
DISMISSED FOR 11
But Shreyas Iyer ran out Stokes with a direct throw from square leg as the skipper was dismissed for 11.
Foakes stepped up the scoring rate a notch by scoring 36 off 69 balls and put on 55 runs for the eighth wicket with Tom Hartley, who also scored 36.
Ashwin and Kuldeep Yadav toiled hard for almost an hour without much success, before Bumrah provided the breakthrough, taking a return catch from Foakes.
“The wicket was good to bat on and our batters got starts, but not many converted them,” Indian skipper Rohit Sharma said. “This win gives us confidence. I am proud of such a young squad to come up against England, who are playing good cricket. This is going to be a very good, competitive series.”
In the morning session, chasing 399, England collapsed before lunch and lost four quick wickets in the second hour’s play.
Zack Crawley and Rehan Ahmed took their second-wicket stand to 45 runs off 66 balls, with the latter contributing 23 runs in the night watchman role. Ahmed was the first to go – out lbw to Axar Patel – while Crawley brought up his second half-century in the Test off 83 balls.
Crawley and Ollie Pope (23) upped the pace for the third wicket, adding 37 off 39 balls, before Ashwin got the breakthrough in the 29th over.
Rohit Sharma took a sharp catch at slip to dismiss Pope and bring some respite to India as the field had been spread out to control the flow of runs.
Another big moment followed in the 31st over, as Joe Root (16) was out caught at backward point, slogging off Ashwin. It was Ashwin’s 499th Test wicket, as the offspinner also became the most successful Indian bowler (96 wickets) against England in Tests.
England were down to 154-4 and needed to see out the session until lunch. But India made a double bowling change, which paid dividends.
Yadav came in to trap Crawley lbw for 73 – the batter’s video review turned down. Then Bumrah dismissed Bairstow for 26 as England lost two wickets in five balls.