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India vs England: The hosts won by 106 runs in Visakhapatnam to level the series

India vs England: The hosts won by 106 runs in Visakhapatnam to level the series

  • Written by Stefan Schimmelt
  • Visakhapatnam's chief cricket writer

video caption,

India vs England: Stokes praises Bumrah after India win second Test

Second Test, Visakhapatnam (day four of five):

India 396 (Jaiswal 209; Anderson 3-47) & 255 (Gill 104; Hartley 4-77)

England 253 (Crowley 76; Bamrah 6-45) & 292 (Crawley 73; Bumrah 3-46, Ashwin 3-72)

India won by 106 runs. Series level 1-1

England's series with India is level at 1-1 after a target of 399 to win the second Test proved too much for the tourists in Visakhapatnam.

Seeking to complete a chase that would break a host of records, England were bowled out for 292 to lose by 106 runs on an anti-climax fourth day.

England got off to a strong start and reached 95-1, but rookie Rehan Ahmed was caught at leg by Axar Patel to suggest a regular fall of wickets.

Opener Zak Crawley looked to be England's main hope, batting gracefully to make 73. And when he was given a lbw to Kuldeep Yadav on review, the match went downhill.

There remained little hope in the form of Ben Stokes, but the skipper was run out in wasteful fashion by a direct hit from Shreyas Iyer. At that stage, with 179 all out and just three wickets remaining, India could breathe easy.

Ben Foakes and Tom Hartley held India back for a stand of 56, and Hartley survived two overs that would have given Ravichandran Ashwin his 500th Test wicket.

Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah was recalled and caught a return catch from Foakes and when Shoaib Bashir was caught behind Mukesh Kumar, Ashwin was given another chance at the catch.

But Bumrah uprooted Hartley's off-stump to finish with three in the innings and nine in the match, leaving Ashwin on 499 wickets in the third Test in Rajkot on February 15.

A step too far for England

This was a big ask, even for an England team that is accustomed to chasing big goals in the fourth innings and came away with a stunning win in the first Test in Hyderabad last week.

That England, their supporters and a wary Indian team believe this is possible speaks volumes about the way Stokes' side have played over the past two years.

After the disadvantage of losing the toss, England were excellent with the ball, especially as their three players had only three previous Test matches combined.

Ultimately, the visitors fell behind with a 6-68 collapse in their first innings, when they saw off an in-form Bumrah. He left them a lot to do in the chase.

England will spend the break in Abu Dhabi with her families. They will be hoping that Joe Root has escaped any serious damage to the finger he suffered here and that the condition of Jack Leach, who missed this Test with a knee injury, will improve.

Stokes' men will rest easy knowing they have already achieved more on this tour than some thought they might. England will view the next three Tests as an opportunity, but also a very difficult proposition.

England fade after strong start

Image source, Getty Images

Comment on the photo,

England lost the crucial wickets of Crawley, Bairstow and Stokes for just 26 runs

On Sunday evening, James Anderson spoke about England trying to chase down their target inside 60 or 70 runs on Monday. From 67-1 overnight, England started brightly, with Crawley driving Bumrah and attacking Ahmed Axar.

India fell behind, and there were openings that England could have scored, but Ahmed's misjudgment in responding to Axar opened the door.

There can be debate as to whether England's aggression has turned reckless, though only Root's dismissal was ugly. Perhaps influenced by his finger, he was inconsistent in a nine-ball knockout in which he hit four fours and a six and escaped a lbw review. From the 10th over, he hit Ashwin hard and was caught at point.

Crawley played beautifully with his second half-century of the match and was perhaps unlucky as he was lbw when reviewing Kuldeep's fifth delivery of the day. Jonny Bairstow was pinned ahead by Bumrah during lunch.

Stokes was playing himself and came through Bumrah's blast after lunch, then fell in a bizarre manner. Called for a single by Foakes, Stokes ducked and was beaten by a straight hit from Shreyas over mid-wicket.

Foakes and Hartley showed spirit, and Ashwin was given a long bowl in a bid to reach his feat, but in the end Bumrah needed just six deliveries from his new spell to produce the slower ball that edged Foakes.

Mukesh became the first seamer other than Bumrah or Anderson to take a wicket in the series and the stage was set for Ashwin, only for Bumrah to whistle through Hartley's defensive hole.

India bounces back

video caption,

India vs England: Rahul Dravid discusses 'Buzzball' after India win second Test

It was a strong response from India, who bounced back from Hyderabad's shock to level the series without five first-choice players.

They were led by young batsmen who could form the backbone of their lineup for years to come. Yashasvi Jaiswal hit a stunning double century in the first innings, and Shubman Gill a hundred in the second.

But England's main tormentor is the impressive Bumrah, whose ability to move the ball at high speed threatens to become a deciding factor in the series. Tourists should think of a way to counter his exciting skill during the break.

India has a proud national record. They have not lost a series in this country for 12 years and remain favorites despite England's strong performances in the first two Tests.

The home team is hoping to get all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and batsman KL Rahul back after injury, but there is no information yet on Virat Kohli, who did not play for Hyderabad or Visakhapatnam due to personal reasons.

Image source, Getty Images

Comment on the photo,

India have been unbeaten in a home Test series since 2012

“England have shown a lot of fight” – reaction

England captain Ben Stokes on TNT Sports: “Going into the final stages, we had complete belief in ourselves that we could go after it. The way we went about meeting that challenge is who we are.

“Congratulations to India, obviously we ended up on the wrong side of the scoreline, but it was another great game.”

India Captain Rohit Sharma: “We know we have a good challenge, the last couple of years England have played really good cricket so it's always been tough. It's a good win but it's still a tough series.”

Player of the match Jasprit Bumrah: “I am very happy that we won, and it is better for me to contribute to this success.”

Former English player Phil Tufnell: “England showed a lot of fight but India’s bowlers were very good, proved a lot.”

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