Visakhapatnam: England were done in by their own pessimism against spin as they struggled to 103 for the loss of five wickets at stumps on day two of the second Test match at the Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium here Friday. That left them in a precarious position, still needing 153 runs to avoid the follow-on, on a pitch turning treacherous by the minute.
Earlier, however, the visitors had done well enough to restrict India to 455 all out after the hosts resumed their innings at 317 for four and with Virat Kohli still at the crease. But Moeen Ali (3/98) came to the party to spoil India’s hopes of a 500-plus score, but at the same creating doubts among his own batsmen about how the pitch was turning into a spinners’ paradise.
On their part, the Indian spin trio of Ravi Ashiwn (2/20), Jayant Yadav (1/11) and Ravindra Jadeja (0/38) utilised the conditions beautifully. But they were ably aided by England’s own apprehensive mindset against spin. To put it simply, the positive body language of the England batsmen so evident at Rajkot was not there, it was as if they had already surrendered already to their spin doom.
It could have well been six wickets down but for a stroke of luck when Jayant’s delivery beat Ben Stokes’ (12 batting), hit the bails without dislodging it en route to the wicket-keeper’s gloves. And India also could have had more wickets early on, particularly that of Joe Root (53, 98b, 6×4), had Kohli been a little more attacking with his field. He had a slip early on, but no regulation gully and twice the luckless Jadeja could only watch as the ball flew off Root’s edge down to third man through that area.
Ashwin, finally got Root and the hapless Ben Duckett as he and Jayant completely tied up the England batsmen with their dripping-tap drop accuracy, but equally having had their minds and techniques scrambled with unerring accuracy. As they say cricket is not just a game of technique, but also of the mind and it was this aspect that England lacked.
It all started however, with Mohammed Shami uprooting skipper Alastair Cook’s off-stump with a nip-breaking delivery that could have got any batsman in the world. Prior to that he had Cook feeling for the away going ball, and then came the ripper.
After that however, for a time, England took control as Root and Haseeb Hameed (13) defended dourly and picked up boundaries off loose deliveries. But a horrible peace of misunderstanding coupled with Jayant’s brilliant athleticism in the deep saw Hameed well short of his crease after Root had refused the second run.
Duckett was done in by Ashwin’s turn and then Jayant got into the act to send back Ali, struck right in front and India benefitting from the use of DRS. Then Ashwin struck the biggest blow as Root trying to hit over the top, only mistimed down Umesh Yadav’s throat at long-off leaving England a mountain to climb Saturday.
Earlier, it was Ashwin (58, 95b, 6×4) and Jayant (35, 84b, 3×4) who put on a crucial 64 runs for the eighth wicket to take India past the 425-run mark. In the process, Ashwin got his eighth Test fifty and once more displayed his growing stature as a batsman – at least in home conditions.
But more than the batsman Ashwin, the hosts will need the bowler Ashwin when the game resumes Saturday.
Agencies
