Visakhapatnam: India spinners Ravichandran Ashwin (3/52) and Jayant Yadav(3/30) bowled extremely well and claimed three wickets apiece in the second innings to lead the hosts to a comfortable 246-run win in the second Test against England here Monday and take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
England, chasing an improbable victory target of 405, were all out for 158 shortly after lunch on the fifth and final day in Visakhapatnam. Batting fourth after losing the toss was always set to be a difficult task for England with the wicket offering vicious turn and uneven bounce during the venue’s Test debut.
England needed to match India’s first innings total of 455 but were on the back foot after losing five wickets for 80 on the second day. Conceding the 200-run lead proved crucial.
“From disappointingly losing those five wickets on day two – in India you need to score first innings runs – you saw how hard it is to score in India’s second innings,” England captain Alastair Cook said, pointing to his counterpart Virat Kohli’s 167 and 81 with the bat as another decisive factor. “It’s all about first innings runs and trying to get parity … But from that moment we showed lots of character and fight. We made India work very hard.”
The touring side lost all 10 of their second-innings wickets for 83 runs after openers Cook and Haseeb Hameed combined in a stand of 75 runs Sunday. Ben Duckett’s poor series continued when he fell without scoring to Ashwin, caught behind miscuing a sweep shot against the world’s top-ranked bowler after England resumed on 87-2.
Moeen Ali did not last long either, out to left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja (2/35) for two after failing to show any of his usual fluidity in a 31-ball knock. Joe Root (25), playing his 50th Test match, was key to England’s slim hopes after Cook fell on the last delivery of the fourth day. England’s best batsman had an early reprieve on nine when Kohli failed to hold a catch at leg slip off Ashwin. The right-hander was then given out, caught behind on 11 against Ashwin, but managed to overturn the decision on review with replays showing he had missed the ball.
After Moeen’s dismissal, Root and Ben Stokes kept India at bay for more than 11 overs before debutant spinner Jayant clean bowled Stokes with a delivery that spun and beat the left-hander’s edge.
Paceman Mohammed Shami then removed Root for 25 when he extracted reverse swing from the new-ish ball and hit the batsman’s pad. Root failed to have the decision overturned on review. Shami also claimed the wicket of Adil Rashid before lunch.
Ashwin, who took his 22nd five-wicket haul in the first innings, cleaned up Zafar Ansari for a duck after lunch. Jayant trapped Stuart Broad and James Anderson lbw in successive balls, with Anderson becoming the first English batsman since 1906 to be dismissed for first ball ducks in both innings of a Test match.
England defeated India 2-1 in 2012 after losing the first Test and Kohli said his team would not be complacent when they go to Mohali for the third match starting Saturday. “We have played some really good cricket. We have maintained nice momentum as far as the first two games are concerned,” said the man of the match.
Kohli credits bowlers
Indian captain Virat Kohli Monday heaped praise on his bowlers, especially debutant Jayant Yadav, for their contribution in the 246-run win over England in the second cricket Test.
Kohli said everything fell in place in both batting and bowling which made the victory possible after the draw in the first Test at Rajkot. “It was lovely to have five bowlers who can pick up wickets. The biggest positives of this Test are how the fast bowlers bowled and Jayant’s debut. He (Jayant) got one wicket in England first innings, scored some runs and then took another three wickets in second innings,” Kohli said after the match.
“It’s always priceless those contributions and it speaks volumes of his character. For a young guy to come in and tell his captain the field he wants, the line and length he would bowl, it shows he knows what he is doing. I’m really happy for him,” said Kohli
Talking about his side’s batting show, Kohli said, “A lot of people had questioned the team’s performance at Rajkot. So we wanted to win this match. We wanted to make sure we batted five sessions, get 450 plus, which is what we did. Then the bowlers were always on top. Scoreboard pressure really counts.”
Kohli talked about his special relation with this ground where he has always done well with the bat. “It’s been a lucky ground for me and it remains a special ground, similar feel I get to Adelaide. “There wasn’t much happening in the wicket, but the batsmen succumbed,” he said.
Cook defends defensive tactics
England’s defensive batting approach against India was a conscious decision to save the second Test on a wearing track, the touring side’s captain Alastair Cook said after the hosts took a 1-0 lead in the series Monday.
Cook and Haseeb Hameed showed exemplary patience and defensive technique during their 75-run opening stand Sunday to keep India at bay for over 50 overs, facing a target of 405 to win on a track offering sharp turn and uneven bounce.
Both fell before the close of play on the penultimate day, however, and England were bowled out shortly after lunch on the final day to give India victory by 246 runs.
“We saw in one game, South Africa played 140-odd overs. If we got to play 150-odd overs then we could have saved the game. We made a conscious effort to play that way. Everyone bought into it.”
The England side is filled with fluent strokemakers including Joe Root, Moeen Ali, Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow. Root, who has a career strike-rate of 55, made 25 off 107 balls. Moeen made two from 31 deliveries. Stokes took 33 deliveries for his six runs.
“It’s not some people’s natural way of playing,” Cook said. “But you say play your natural way and suddenly you’re four down then lower order start digging in and you think, ‘why didn’t we start that right at the beginning of the game’.”
Agencies
