Bumrah too much of a handful for England

Visakhapatnam – Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah (right) took a match haul of nine wickets to lead India’s 106-run win over England in the second Test yesterday and level the five-match series.

Chasing a record 399 for victory, England were bowled out for 292 in the second session on day four in Visakhapatnam, despite an attacking start and Zak Crawley’s 73.

Bumrah and spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who ended the match on 499 Test wickets, took three each in the final innings and the pace spearhead bowled Tom Hartley to seal the win.

Shubman Gill set up the comeback victory for the hosts with his 104 on day three to set England, who won the opening Test, a daunting target.

England came out swinging with their “Bazball” brand of cricket, Crawley and company hitting boundaries despite losing wickets.

Skipper Ben Stokes said he had “full belief” that they could chase the total down.

“The way we have gone about taking on challenges like that is what we are about,” he said.

“In moments like that, when you have scoreboard pressure, that is when we get the best out of ourselves as individuals,” added

Stokes.

“The way we applied ourselves and put India under pressure was great, unfortunately we didn’t end up on the right side of the result.”

India’s left-arm spinner Axar Patel got a key breakthrough when he trapped Rehan Ahmed lbw for 23, after the nightwatchman hit five fours in his 31-ball knock.

Ollie Pope hammered five boundaries in his brief stay at the wicket, before Ashwin had him caught at slip on 23.

Joe Root showed no signs of the finger injury which kept him out of the field for much of Sunday as he reverse-swept for two fours before falling to Ashwin, who remains one away from entering the 500-wicket club.

The chase soon lost steam with two wickets in five balls before lunch, including Crawley out lbw off left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav.

Stokes attempted to get the chase back on track after lunch, but a direct hit by Shreyas Iyer had the left-hander run out on 11.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Ben Foakes (36) and left-handed Hartley (also 36) put on a stubborn stand of 55 but Man-of-the-Match Bumrah, broke through to get Foakes caught and bowled. –